What can be described as a miracle took place at the National Assembly on Thursday, April 14, when a bill for the amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and Bureau Act went through second reading on the floor of the Senate barely 48 hours after it was first read.

If anything, the Nigerian Senate is notorious for the snail pace process of lawmaking and the speedy nature of this particular bill – gives credence to the school of thought that affirms that the lawmakers are trying to give the embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki a life line in his struggle against the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Saraki is on trial at the CCT for alleged false declaration of assets from when he was governor of Kwara state 13 years ago.

The drama as well as legal confusion surrounding the trial at the CCT also gives credence to the claim of the Senate President that his trial is a case of persecution rather than in a bid to fight corruption.

Saraki drew the ire of certain key figures within his party, the All Progressives Congress when he deftly worked his way to the seat of Senate Presidency against party arrangements.

Following his battles at the CCT, the other lawmakers in the National Assembly might just be towards a means of salvation for the Senate President if he gets convicted by the court.

The bill which was sponsored by Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta State), after passing second reading, was referred to the committees on Judiciary and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

The bill seeks to amend Section 3 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act “to give every public officer appearing (before the) Bureau fair hearing provided for under Section 36 (2)(a) of the CFRN 1999 which provides: “for an opportunity for the person whose rights and obligations may be affected to make representations to the administering authority before that authority makes the decision affecting that person.”

The current law of the CCB does not provide that the Bureau take written statements from public officers before attending to an issue of alleged non-compliance to the Tribunal, CCT.

The amendment therefore seeks to provide that any public officer suspected of a breach of conduct by the Tribunal would first be made to give a written statement on the said allegations.

Saraki’s argument at the last CCT trial was that his case should be dismissed, just like Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s was by the Tribunal since he was not invited by the Bureau to give a written statement on the allegations.

The bill also seeks to stay the CCT from adopting the Criminal Procedure Act and the Criminal Procedure Code as a procedural template.

Meanwhile, Senator Solomon Adeola representing Lagos West Senatorial district has revealed that he and his colleagues are not in support of the bill.

The senator noted that while the majority in the House would always carry the day, he and his people still do not support the bill.

He further revealed that alongside some like minded colleagues, a walkout was staged in protest.