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Tag: Ekweremadu

  • Separation of Office of AGF from Minister of Justice still possible, says Ekweremadu

    Separation of Office of AGF from Minister of Justice still possible, says Ekweremadu

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has said separation of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) from that of the minister of Justice, was still possible, if Nigerians desired it, to strengthen justice delivery.

    A statement by his Media Adviser, Uche Anichukwu, said Ekweremadu spoke at the weekend while fielding questions from reporters during a tour of the construction site of the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja.

    It said Ekweremadu hailed the Bar leadership, under Mr. Augustine Alegeh, for continuing with the project, started by his predecessor.

    It quoted Ekweremadu as saying that the proposal to separate the two offices did not see the light of the day, because the Fourth Alteration Bill was not assented to by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The statement said the Senate deputy president noted that although he believed in the idea, it was a decision for Nigerians and lawmakers to make.

  • Enugu APC vice chair sacked for criticising Ekweremadu

    Enugu APC vice chair sacked for criticising Ekweremadu

    •Members kick 

    The Zonal Organising Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu East Senatorial District, Mr Emeka Anike, has condemned the party’s State Chairman Ben Nwoye for allegedly sacking the zone’s Vice Chairman Anike Nwoga.

    At a meeting he convened yesterday, Nwoye sacked Anike for publicly berating Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who wrote to the international community to intervene in the prosecution of the Senate leadership for alleged forgery.

    Last weekend in Awgu Local Government Area, Anike said: “Senator Ekweremadu should retract the letter he wrote to the international community because the desperate letter is 360 degrees at variance with the oath of office he did solemnly swore to, which states inter alia ‘…that I will be faithful and bear the allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria …and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria…’

    “By this unwarranted letter, he has desecrated the Constitution, tarnished the image of Nigeria and, by extension, our dear President. As a senior lawyer, we had expected him to maintain his earlier statement that he has faith in Almighty God and the Nigerian courts.’

    “Where is President Muhammadu Buhari in this matter? How is democracy being threatened? Why is he panicky, without exhausting the court process?’

    “Senator Hilary Clinton, presumptive presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in the United States, is being tried over the email issue. Has she written to United Nations (UN) or Nigeria?”

    Earlier, Nwoye had directed Anike to retract the statement he made late last year when he advised former Anambra State Governor Jim Nwobodo to go and sort out his involvement in the Dasukigate, a directive Anike reportedly did not listen to.

    The chairman set up a panel, which was said to be at variance with Article 21(4)(c) and other relevant sections of the constitution of the APC.

    Various sections in the party’s constitution stipulate the careful steps with the intendment to ensure peace and harmony should be made on critical issues.

    While the panel was sitting, Anike said: “My understanding is that Nwoye is inclined more to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) than the growth of the APC. He attacked Mrs Kate Ofor for opposing the governor for appointing caretaker committees to run the local government areas. He attacked Anike for advising Chief Nwobodo to cleanse himself of Dasukigate before joining the APC ‘he worked against’.

  • PDP crisis: How Ekweremadu, Dickson, others brokered peace

    PDP crisis: How Ekweremadu, Dickson, others brokered peace

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson played vital roles in the resolve of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold a new convention, it was learnt last night.

    A source said the first of the reconciliation meetings between the two factions were held last Monday.

    The first meeting between representatives of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi began on Monday. The meeting had in attendance Ekweremadu, Dickson, House Minority leader Leo Ogor; former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu and Senator Buruji Kashamu.

    “The discussions at the meeting were frank and tough. Eventually, we were able to bring together the two leaders, Sheriff and Makarfi, at the Taraba State Governor’s Lodge, with Senator Ekweremadu sitting between them,” said the source.

    The second meeting began last Tuesday around 11 am and lasted till the early hours of Wednesday. It had in attendance Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State; Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Minority leader of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Biodun Olujinmi; Senator Suleiman Adokwe from Nasarawa State; Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jubrin and Kashamu.

    At the meeting, Sheriff and Makarfi agreed not to contest the national chairmanship. They agreed that an expanded National Caucus meeting should be held and that a National Convention Committee (NCC) be set up within a week and the NCC would run the party till the National Convention is held.

    “They agreed that a date be fixed for the National Convention within a month. They also agreed to address the nation and members of the party at the National Convention.  In effect, the two leaders showed they have the interest of the party at heart.

    “The only point of divergence was who should preside over expanded the National Caucus meeting and constitute the National Convention Committee,” the source said.

    It was proposed that they co-chair the expanded National Caucus meeting and jointly constitute the National Convention Committee.

  • Ekweremadu’s desperation

    Ekweremadu’s desperation

    •Let those accused of forgery face their charge instead of trying to politicise their trial

    What exactly does deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu want to achieve with his letter to the United Nations, United States’ Congress, United Kingdom, European Union Parliament and foreign missions, seeking their intervention in a matter that is already before a competent court in Nigeria? Perhaps only the deputy senate president and those behind the idea can shed light on the matter.

    Ekweremadu wrote the international community concerning his arraignment alongside the senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki, and the former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa as well as his deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi, for alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, 2015. According to the deputy senate president, their arraignment was an attempt to rubbish the National Assembly by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    In the letter titled: “Re: Trumped Up Charges Against the Presiding Officers of the 8th Senate: Nigerian Democracy in grave danger,” Ekweremadu said that the trial was an attempt by the government to truncate democracy in the country as well as silence him as the leader and highest-ranking member of the opposition party.

    Ekweremadu’s letter, as usual with the typical Nigerian elite’s manner of defence, was not about whether he and the three others actually committed the alleged crime of forgery or not. It pandered to the usual appeal to pity and sentiment more than any attempt to exonerate them of the alleged crime. We find this ridiculous, even if not unexpected.

    In the first place, we cannot understand how the trial could be interpreted as an attempt to truncate democracy in the country. Ekweremadu is not being tried before a military or a quasi tribunal but by a competent court of law. Even if we accept that he and the senate president were not given fair hearing by the police during their investigations as he claimed, they both have a golden opportunity to tell the court what the police did not avail them the opportunity of telling. They have the opportunity of marshalling their defence legally to exonerate themselves of the charge.

    The beauty of it is that even if the court of first instance delivers its judgment, either party that is dissatisfied with the judgment has a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal. If still that delivers a judgment that any of the parties considers unfair to it, there is yet the opportunity of taking the matter up to the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the land.

    To this extent, therefore, the trial can only deepen democracy and strengthen the rule of law in the country, contrary to Ekweremadu’s claim that it would truncate it.

    Again, in Nigeria, an accused stands innocent until proven guilty by a competent court. As a democrat, and one who should hold the rule of law sacrosanct, Ekweremadu ought to have allowed the country’s judicial system do justice to the matter instead of externalising a strictly criminal matter. The deputy senate president’s desperation to seek the intervention of the international community is a vote of no confidence in the country’s judicial system, which is a pity.

    If truly the senate’s standing rules that threw up Dr Saraki as senate president were forged, that is a grievous allegation. The senate is Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber and its leading lights must, like Caesar’s wife, be above suspicion. We know that those the deputy senate president has written on the matter would most probably not dignify him with a reply; this is partly why we are worried about the extent that desperation can take our politicians. Unfortunately, they not only ridicule themselves by some of their actions, they also drag the country’s name into the mud, which is sad indeed.

    We deplore the penchant of our ruling elite to see any attempt to call them to account for their actions as ethnic, religious or political persecution. In this instance, it is only the senate president and his deputy as well as two others that are on trial; they should face the charge instead of making it look as if the offence allegedly committed was collective responsibility by the senate. Any senator who feels sufficiently strong that it is the senate that is on trial has a right to ask to be joined in the suit.

    But for now, it is only Dr Saraki,  Ekweremadu and the two others that are in the dock for the alleged crime. So, let them bear their cross alone instead of dragging the name of the Nigerian senate into disrepute; not only at home, but worse still, abroad.

  • Ekweremadu, champion of democracy?

    Ike Ekweremadu, not too long ago, forwarded the court summons over alleged forgery by the Senate leadership and some others  to the United Nations, governments of the UK and USA, the European Union parliament and foreign missions, to call the world attention to an ‘attempt by Buharis’s government to rubbish the legislative arm of government’, ‘ clampdown on opposition’ and for what  he described as  continuation of ‘marginalization of the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones of Nigeria’. He however conveniently forgot to say by whom since the Igbo, according to General Alabi Isama, have been part of every government since independence and have played leading roles in every government since the return of democracy in 1999 with Ekweremadu (South-east) as Deputy Senate President in the last nine years and ex-President Jonathan (South-south) as Vice President and President for eight years. All the same, decked in Igbo traditional war attire to give a wrong impression his arraignment for alleged forgery was an assault on the Igbo nation, his travails, he claimed during his press conference ,was ‘an attempt to silence the highest ranking opposition leader’, a  move he said  was ‘capable of truncating Nigerian democracy’. His grieving supporters a few days later, followed with another distress call, this time on Nigerians. ‘Buhari’, they said, ‘was about to black out democracy’, citing as evidence ‘the alleged kill­ing of members of Inde­pendent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Onitsha as well  the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu’. Others supporters also followed by lionizing and praising him for his courage. Finally, there were those who celebrated him for his letter which they claimed found only parallel in those letters the APC wrote as opposition party to warn the international community about Jonathan’s plan to prolong the nightmare of besieged people of north-west through corruption-ridden war chest if only that would guarantee his reelection .

    Except for those whom the end justifies the means, many believe Ekwerenmadu’s letter crafted to defend a position which he by his own admission was acquired inelegantly was childish, ill-advised and self-serving. There is no doubt that those to whom a letter in which Ekweremadu positioned himself  as the champion of democracy in Nigeria was addressed know he is the greatest threat to democracy. Those who have had long years of political socialization in the long established participatory democracies know there can be no greater threat to democracy than the betrayal of the spirit of democratic rules and conventions. They know that Ekwerenmadu’s self admission that he immorally usurped a position that by convention belongs to the ruling party with majority was a calculated attempt to derail the democratic process. Unlike Nigeria where many of our compatriots suffer from the crisis of ideas and crisis of poverty, any misguided politician who embarks on such political perfidy in the UK, USA or in the European Union parliament, would be digging his own political grave. None of his generation would ever smell elective offices.

    They know more. They know that Ekweremadu cannot be a champion of democracy. They witnessed the obscene scenes in states houses of assembly such as Ekiti, Rivers and Edo where five thugs as lawmakers supported by the federal might purportedly impeached speakers supported by as many as 20 state lawmakers while the 7th assembly presided over by Mark/Ekweremadu looked the other way. They also know that by the virtue of Ekweremadu’s position in the 7th assembly, he cannot pretend not to be privy to how $2.1b inclusive of $1b loan meant for procurement of arms for our embattled soldiers who at a point could not defend their barracks and their loved ones were shared by PDP stalwarts to buy support for Jonathan’s 2015 failed reelection bid.

    If there is anyone deceived by  Ekweremadu and his 7th Senate whose leadership publicly admitted spending a whole night scheming about how to steal what belongs to others, where those who handsomely rewarded themselves for being called upon to serve the people routinely abandoned the Senate chambers in solidarity with their leader facing charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal,  and where elected senators are threatening to sabotage the federal government programmes instead of prevailing on their leaders facing alleged forgery charges to clear their names, it is certainly not United Nations, the governments of US  and Britain or the western society for that matter.

    Perhaps Ekweremadu and his supporters need to be reminded that unlike his self-serving letter, but for the APC letters which forced the US to reconsider the plan to sell arms to Nigeria upon discovering that Nigerian arms were finding their way to the insurgents, beyond the 29 LGA seized by Boko Haram, the whole of the besieged three north-eastern states would have been captured by Boko Haram. The US had accused Nigerian Generals of human rights abuses. What greater human right abuse than condemning your ill-equipped young soldiers to death. Revelations from the ongoing probe has vindicated APC. Dasuki, Jonathan’s NSA has since confessed the $2.1b funds meant for procurement of arms ferried in boxes to his office was authorized by President Jonathan. EFCC has since revealed how a minister of defence, using an aircraft personally ferried N4.7b of the amount to Akure airport from where it was allegedly shared between Fayose, Omisore and Obanikoro. PDP stalwarts and their sympathizers such as Dokpesi, Metuh, Fani Kayode, Olu Falae and many others have since admitted receiving money from the NSA office. With these facts before Nigerians, the motive of Ekweremadu’s letter to the international community is clear-preemption. It is a survival strategy.

    But using the name of the Igbo poor in vain by those who rode on their back to power whenever they are called on to face their demons is not uncommon. And not long ago some Igbo elites facing prosecution for evasion of payment of land rent on the palaces they erected in exclusive parts of Lagos claimed they were being persecuted by Fashola’s government for criticizing his repatriation of some destitute back to their home states. That was at a period similar exercise had just been carried out among the south-eastern states. That was a time Imo State government was trying to cope with crisis of Imo indigenes repatriated from Abia State civil service while thousands of Igbo were gainfully employed in Lagos civil service and parastatals.  But some Igbo ex-governors who led the crusade against ex-governor Fashola over the repatriated few destitute were silent on the fate of thousands of poor uneducated Igbo youths who can neither read nor write that roam the streets of our major cities hawking smuggled substandard goods. They are only relevant to Igbo political elite during season of personal travails or when they want to ride on their back to power as they did in 2015 when they were railroaded to vote Jonathan who twice promised to build the second Onitsha Bridge and twice failed.

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu forgery case: AGF is partisan, says Senate

    Saraki, Ekweremadu forgery case: AGF is partisan, says Senate

    The Senate yesterday described Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) as partisan, in the forgery case he is prosecuting against Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in a statement accused Malami of having “personal and pecuniary interest in the case as he was a counsel to the aggrieved Senators who decided to externalise the issue of election of the leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly after they failed in their bid to get their preferred candidate elected.”

    Abdullahi described Malami as “the one who advised his clients to report the matter to the Police and now that he has become AGF, he decided to use his constitutional powers to pursue private interest by filing a criminal case in the FCT High Court against the subsisting ruling of a court of co-ordinate jurisdiction.”

    The statement added: “When the Senate invited the AGF to come and throw light on the forgery case, it was not to challenge his right to file, take over or discontinue any criminal case but for him to explain the issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, disrespect of a subsisting order of  a court and violation of the principle of Separation of Powers which are being raised against him.

    “When his supporters jumped up and started abusing the Senate over the invitation, we know our position that an Attorney General and indeed any public officer for whose office public funds are appropriated can be invited by the Senate and the House of Representatives to explain certain issues, is on firm, constitutional ground.

    “That is in spite of the fact that the AGF is responsible to the President who appointed him.

    “It should be noted that Malami’s name is still on the list of lawyers defending Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi and others in the Federal High Court.

    “We invite all Nigerians, including those shouting over whether it was right for the Senate to invite the AGF or not, to read the ruling of Justice Kolawole and conclude whether Malami is still fit to be AGF in a government which canvasses change and rule of law.

    “Our position as a law making chamber is that the Office of AGF is a sensitive and strategic one being the only other office in the executive arm apart from that of President and Vice President to which the constitution specifically assigns some roles and powers.

    “It must therefore be occupied by a sober, law abiding, brilliant, mature, broad-minded and less partisan lawyer.

    “Mr. Malami is yet to convince us with his handling of this case that he possesses these attributes.

    “We call on him to respect the ruling of the court and to redeem the integrity of his office.

    “In conclusion, the Senate is calling on all parties, Mr. Malami, the Attorney General inclusive, to heed the wise, timely and apt advice of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar that “it is time to move on.”

    “Truly, Nigeria needs our collective energy to address the various challenges – notably increasing poverty, hunger, youth unemployment, general insecurity and kidnapping, among others – which are time bombs that we can only ignore at our own collective peril.”

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu: The limit of sentiments

    Saraki, Ekweremadu: The limit of sentiments

    Much has been said about the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki. Those sympathetic to the former Kwara State Governor believe he is being persecuted for working against his party on the leadership of the Red Chamber.  But in this analysis, Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes that Saraki is not the first high ranking public officer nor the first chieftain of a ruling party to be tried. Salisu Buhari, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, was tried, convicted and booted out of office and the heavens did not fall. 

    IS there any justification for the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, for alleged forgery? Opinion is divided on the trial of the two lawmakers. The pro-Saraki forces in the upper legislative chamber believe that their arraignment in court was in bad faith, adding that they were being victimised by President Muhammadu Buhari. They have been threatening fire and brimstone, saying that democracy is endangered.

    But, many observers disagree with them. In the observers’ view, the duo of Saraki and Ekweremadu are not insulated from trial because they lack immunity. Besides, they feel that the Buhari administration, built on a clear anti-corruption mantra, is trying to lay an example.

    As far as they are concerned, Saraki, Ekweremadu and others on trial are suspects, until the court decides their fate. According to them, nobody is above the law in a democracy. Thus, if the suspects are found guilty, they should face the music. If otherwise, they will be let off the hook. In this wise, the cause of democracy and due process would have been enhanced.

    The trial has worsened the frosty relationship between the Senate and the Presidency. Fear has engulfed the National Assembly, with legislators agitating for constitutional amendment for personal protection through an inexplicable legislative immunity that will shield them from criminal trial like the President, his deputy, governors and their deputies.

    Already, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators’ Caucus has alerted the President to an imminent showdown by announcing the withdrawal of support for his policies and programmes. Some of their counterparts in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have also said that the executive was playing with fire.

    But Senate Chief Whip, Sola Adeyeye, said the Buhari administration’s position on corruption should not be compromised. He urged the suspects to prove their innocence before an independent judiciary. Senator Adeyeye said that the APC senators will support the President’s bid to rid the nation of theft and graft.

    In Kwara, the state where Saraki was governor between 2003 and 2011, APC chieftains are enraged. They poured venom on the President for allowing the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to drag Saraki to court. On the day of their arraignment, an embattled Ekweremadu  decided to play the ethnic card. Decked in Igbo attire, he conveyed the impression that the Southeast, many parts of which did not vote for Buhari in last year’s election, was on trial. He forwarded letters of protest to world leaders, sub-regional and continental groups, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), urging them to call President Buhari to order.

    As usual, Saraki was combative. He is facing trial on two fronts. He is being tried at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for allegedly falsifying his asset declaration and for alleged forgery in concert with civil servants, who allegedly violated the law by amending the House Rules to suit a particular agenda. The former Kwara State governor has been crying foul, saying that the executive was victimising him because it has not overcome the shock of his emergence as the Senate President, despite its hostility to the process that paved the way for his emergence. He has attributed his ordeal to the antics of a cabal, a tiny executive within the broad executive, which has cowed others under the weight of its power and influence.

    Ironically, the Senate President was accused of being a member of a cabal under the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, when, following a visit to Saudi Arabia, the cabal announced that the ailing President was well.

    Saraki fired salvos at the Federal Government. He said the executive has infringed on the fundamental principle of separation of powers in a presidential system. The Senate, he argued, was at liberty to conduct its affairs as an independent arm. Malami has countered him, saying that the alleged forgery constituted a serious infraction of the law.

    According to observers, both Saraki and Ekweremadu may not have approached the court of public opinion with an overwhelming evidence of non-connivance. Was the offence committed or not?

    Some activists have observed that it appeared that more energy is being dissipated on partisan and sentimental explanations about why they should not be tried; little legal justification for non-arraignment appeared to have been offered. It is up to them and their lawyers to inflame the legal fireworks in the court when they open their defence.

    Saraki’s trial has generated heated debate and controversy, aided by an uncanny media war. But, historically, he is not the first chieftain of a ruling party and a high-ranking officer of the state to be tried.

    The first epic trial in this dispensation was that of deposed House of Representatives Speaker Salisu Buhari. At the initial stage, there was uproar in the Green Chamber. Buhari was perceived as an ‘Obasanjo boy.’ The former number three citizen was popular in the House; charming and charismatic. But, the allegations of false education claims and age declaration sank his career. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the then leader of the ruling PDP, to which he belonged, could not save him. Caught in the act, he dragged his feet a little while before owing up. Buhari was consequently tried and convicted. Although he was later pardoned, he went into socio-political oblivion.

    Under the Obasanjo administration, another party chieftain, Senator Adolphus Wabara was impeached as Senate President and tried for budget scandal. There were allegations of financial inducement of senators involving the former Senate President, former Education Minister, Prof. Fabian Osuji and some senators. On that note, Wabara’s senatorial career hit the rock. He was removed as the Senate President. Osuji was sacked from the Federal Executive Council (FCE). The case is still in court.

    Even before Wabara, Chief Evan Ewerem was removed as Senate President for forgery and inconsistencies in the spelling of his name.

    Under the Yar’Adua administration, two ministers were removed, following allegations of financial misappropriation. Former Health Minister, Prof. Adenike Grange, and the Minister of State for Health, Chief Gabriel Duku, were investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). To the consternation of officials of the anti-graft body, the two ministers were misled by civil servants against doing the right thing with unspent funds. They did not benefit personally from the transaction. But they had been removed as ministers in error and the duo were never reinstated.

    Prof. Grange, an eminent scholar, accepted her fate, having been cleared. But, Duku, a politician, went to the court. The court ruled that he was not corrupt.

    After a successful career spanning over three decades, former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tafa Balogun was tried for corruption. His career ended on a sour note. He was handcuffed by junior officers who dragged him on the floor. Balogun was tried and convicted. His saving grace was the plea bargaining.

    The governors who served under the Obasanjo presidency were not spared. Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Dieprieye Alamieyeiseigha (Bayelsa), Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo) and Ayo Fayose (Ekiti) were not insulated from investigation by the EFCC.

    Amid the controversies that engulfed their tenures, Dariye lost power for six months as a state of emergency was declared in Plateau; Alamieyeseigha and Fayose were impeached, although the court later ruled that Fayose’s removal violated the due process. Dariye, who is still facing trial and the late Alamieyeseigha belonged to the PDP. Fayose is still in the PDP. Alhaji Ladoja,  whose impeachment generated controversies, challenged his removal from the lower court to the Supreme Court, which ordered his reinstatement.

    Fayose’s fate under the Obasanjo and now under the Buhari administration demonstrates the limitation to the efficacy of immunity prayers.

    Lawyers have referred the governor to the Supreme Court ruling that, despite the fact that a governor cannot be prosecuted, he can be investigated. Investigation is a prelude to, and indeed, the foundation of trial.

    Also, under the Obasanjo administration, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was investigated by an administrative panel, which indicted him, despite his immunity. But, he took his battle to the court and won. The court ruled that he cannot be excluded from the electoral process merely because he was indicted by a non-judicial panel.

    Other PDP chieftains, who were tried in the past included former Minister of Internal Affairs, Chief Sunday Afolabi, former Housing Minister, Mrs. Mobolaji Osomo, and former Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo.

    The National Identity Card scandal led to the arrest, detention and trial of Afolabi, who was a PDP elder and personal friend of the former President. Mrs. Osomo was removed as minister over a housing scandal. But, investigation later showed that she did not take any action for selfish interest. Although she was cleared, she never regained her ministerial seat. Okadigbo’s undoing was the granting of anticipatory approval.

    Also the first female House of Representatives Speaker, Patricia Olubunmi-Etteh, was sacked by the PDP-dominated Green Chamber for inflating the contract for the rehabilitation of her official quarters. Her removal paved the way for Dimeji Bankole.

    Why should the polity be heated up because Saraki is being tried for alleged false declaration of assets and alleged falsification of Senate rules? In both cases, he has alleged persecution instead of stepping out confidently to prove his innocence in court or at the tribunal. This is certainly not how to be the leader of men and women who claim to be highly distinguished.

  • Face your trial, Fed Govt tells Saraki, Ekweremadu

    Face your trial, Fed Govt tells Saraki, Ekweremadu

    For the second time in 48 hours, the Federal Government has urged Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to face their forgery case and clear their names instead of politicising the matter.

    Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina on Monday admonished Saraki and Ekweremadu to leave President Muhammadu Buhari out of their fate after Saraki complained that he was being persecuted.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal yesterday said the Senate principal officers should not give the impression that the case against them is an Executive versus Legislature war.

    The alleged forgery case is not a trial of the Senate or the National Assembly as a body, but that of Saraki and Ekweremadu, Lawal said.

    But the Senate insisted that the trial is an attempt to intimidate the lawmakers, overwhelm them and force a change of leadership.

    Lawal urged them to allow the judiciary to do its job, saying dragging the National Assembly into it is unwarranted.

    In a statement, Lawal said:  ”Since the arraignment of the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, before the Federal High Court on Monday, June 27, 2016, the two leaders of the Senate, have issued two separate press statements conveying messages that are far from being complementary to the person and government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Senator Saraki in his statement clearly insinuated that Mr. President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now runs the federal administration.  On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he insists that President Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that can derail our democracy.

    “From their statements, the two leaders of the Senate also gave this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire Senate and indeed, the Legislative Arm of Government that is on trial.

    “They want the public to believe that their prosecution is utter disregard by the Executive Arm of government for the constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise.”

    Since the case is in court, he said, the Judiciary should be allowed to do its job.”

    He stressed that the case only involves the four accused persons.

    Lawal added: “And should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the police by some aggrieved senators who specifically accused certain persons.

    “It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives.  To bring the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted.  It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investigation and legal proceedings.

    “A case of forgery is usually preferred against individuals.  This is not different. As was the case with a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was accused of certificate forgery, what he did was to resign, honorably. The matter did not even go to court.

    “In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter for the National Assembly.  The individual involved did not drag the entire Legislature into the matter.”

    He pointed out that the statements by the Senate President and his Deputy were contradictory.

    “While Senator Saraki believes Mr. President has abdicated his powers and that a cabal is in charge of Federal Administration, Senator Ekweremadu says President Buhari has become a dictator.

    “Our democracy is still evolving and being deepened. The provisions of the separation of powers are entrenched in our Constitution and should guide everyone in our conduct. The rule of law is indeed supreme.

    “This particular case is before the judiciary and is not being decided by the Executive Arm of Government.  All that has transpired is still within the confines of our laws. These are the rights to accuse, to be investigated and be arraigned before the court.

    “To impute other considerations to the process is unfortunate.  We should allow the process to take its course, in consonance with the dictates of the law and total obeisance to the cardinal democratic principle of the separation of powers.”

  • Senate invites Attorney-Gen. over Saraki, Ekweremadu

    Senate invites Attorney-Gen. over Saraki, Ekweremadu

    The Senate yesterday invited Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami to appear before it to explain why he took Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to court over alleged forgery.

    Saraki, Ekweremadu and two others were arraigned at a Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday to answer charges of alleged forgery of 2015 Standing Rule of the Senate.

    Following a motion by Senator Dino Melaye, (Kogi West) entitled “imminent threat to our democracy” the Senate resolved to invite Malami to explain why he allegedly disregarded and reopened the alleged forgery case against Saraki and others when a court of competent jurisdiction had struck it.

    The Senate said Justice Gabriel Kolawole of Abuja High Court adjudicated and ruled on the matter affirming that the issue is an internal affair of the Senate.

    Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, in a letter NASSIS/CJHL/024/2016/10 dated 27th June, 2016 and addressed to Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said Malami should appear before it tomorrow to throw light on his role in Saraki and Ekweremadu’s arraignment.

    The letter was received in the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on 28 June, 2016 as stamped.

    Also yesterday, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu wrote the United Nations, (UN),the  European Union (EU), the United States’ Congress, the European Union (EU) Parliament, Governments of United States, United Kingdom and other foreign missions, over his trial for alleged forgery of the Senate standing rule.

    Ekweremadu raised the alarm over what he described as an attempt to truncate Nigeria’s democracy and “silence me as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in the country, all in the name of prosecuting an alleged forgery case.”

    The two-page document, entitled: “Re: Trumped Up Charges Against the Presiding Officers of the 8th Senate: Nigerian Democracy is in Grave Danger,” a copy of which was sighted by our reporter in Abuja, urged the international community, to “after perusing the facts before them, decide whether or not the trial was justified, or one purely borne out of political vendetta.”

    He attached copies of the court summons and other documents relating to the matter to his letter.

    Ekweremadu said: “You may further wish to judge for yourself whether this unfolding scenario, coupled with the clampdown on the opposition, such as targeted arrests and indefinite detention of opposition figures and dissenting voices in spite of court pronouncements and in clear violation of the Nigerian constitution, as well as the sustained marginalization of the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones of Nigeria, does not constitute a grave danger to the nation’s hard-won democracy.”

    “Moreover, the rules and principles of fair hearing have not been adhered to because the police have not interacted with me or the President of the Senate as at the time of writing this letter.

    “You may also wish to judge for yourself whether this trial orchestrated against me is not a political trial, calculated witch-hunt, barefaced intimidation, and a clear attempt to emasculate the parliament and silence me as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in Nigeria.

    “Meanwhile, it could also be recalled that an attempt was made on my life on November 17, 2015. The Nigerian security agencies did nothing, even though the incident was duly reported“.

  • Alleged forgery: I’m not witness against Saraki, Ekweremadu as Buhari’s aide, says Ojudu

    Alleged forgery: I’m not witness against Saraki, Ekweremadu as Buhari’s aide, says Ojudu

    •Senator: I’ll give evidence as Unity Forum member

    The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has said his role as a witness in the alleged forgery of the Senate rules in the election of its President and Deputy President, Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on June 9, last year, has nothing to do with his position as the President’s aide.

    The senator said he was testifying because of his membership of the Seventh Senate and as one of the conveners of the Unity Forum, who called the police attention to the alleged forgery.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, has charged Saraki and Ekweremadu with alleged forgery and conspiracy before an Abuja Federal High Court.

    Also charged are: former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and Deputy Clerk of the House, Mr. Benard Efeturi.

    Ojudu is one of the witnesses in the case.

    He said: “My statement and other witnesses’ statements were taken months before my appointment. As a member of the Unity Forum, I am one of those who worked for Senator Ahmed Lawan as the preferred candidate for the Senate Presidency in the June 9, 2015 election.

    “There are three groups of senators. They are: the Unity Forum, Like Minds and the Non-Aligned. The Unity Forum comprised serving and non-serving senators. I am an active member, being a senator in the Seventh Senate – from 2011 to 2015.”

    Ojudu said he was at the Senate for four years, adding that at no time were the rules amended.

    He said: “So, tampering with the rules by the current Senate was seen as a misnomer by us and that was why we petitioned the police.

    “The statement we did to the police on the matter predated my appointment and that of Senator Ita Enang. It will, therefore, be preposterous for anyone to classify me as representing the Presidency on the matter.”