Saraki was absent at the APC national key meeting on Monday, February 26, at the Presidential Villa.
Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday explained the reasons why he was absent at key meetings of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held last week.


Saraki’s absence at both the National Caucus and National Executive Council (NEC) meetings of his party heightened speculations of his plan to dump the APC.

Saraki in a statement by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said his absence was as a result of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct of Tribunal (CCT) and tight schedules.

The statement reads: “On Monday, the Senate President was in Benin from morning till 6.15pm, attending the Senate Roundtable on Migration and Human Trafficking, one of the interventions by the lawmaking body to source for legislative and policy solutions to one of the major problems plaguing the youth in our country.

“Dr. Saraki and his delegation, including senators, returned to his Abuja home at 7.45 pm, while the APC National Caucus meeting was scheduled to begin by 8.00 pm on the same night. Clearly, there was no way he could have arrived at the venue on time, especially as it would be a breach of protocol to do so at a meeting presided over by the President. "

"Olaniyonu advised that no one should attach any mischievous or inaccurate interpretation to Saraki's absence at the two meetings “held at times when his whereabouts were a matter of public record. ”


“Dr. Saraki did not fix the date of the adoption of briefs by prosecution and defence lawyers. The Tribunal did, and by law, Saraki must be physically present at the Tribunal as the defendant.

 “It stands to reason that he cannot be in two places at once, and so he was unavoidably absent at the NEC meeting.”