Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu betrayed him during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki made the clarification while speaking on Politics Today, on Channels Television.

Reacting to questions on whether Tinubu played a role in the political and legal challenges he faced while serving as Senate President, Saraki said it would be unfair to blame the current president.

According to him, Tinubu did not have the level of influence many people believed he had within Buhari’s government and was not involved in decisions surrounding the trials he faced at the time.

“That’s not fair on President Tinubu. During former President Buhari’s administration, Tinubu didn’t have the say that they claimed he had,” Saraki said.

He explained that the decisions that led to his prosecution at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the investigations linked to the Offa robbery incident were not influenced by Tinubu.

Saraki added that while he served as Senate President, he prioritised what he believed was in the best interest of the country, even though those actions later led to political persecution.

“I was doing what I felt was in the interest of the country as the President of the Senate, and for doing those things I was then persecuted,” he said.

He further stressed that Tinubu was not among those who initiated or implemented the actions that resulted in the Code of Conduct Bureau trial or other allegations brought against him during that period.