The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum and the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have condemned the police harassment of the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu under the guise of investigating the alteration of the Senate’s standing rules.
The allegation of forgery of the Senate’s standing rules was first raised by Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central) on the floor of the Senate on June 10, 24 hours after the inauguration of the Eighth Senate and election of its presiding officers – Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ekweremadu as his deputy.
Marafa also restated the allegation through another point of order on June 23.
But in response to Marafa’s point of order, Ekweremadu had explained that every edition of the Senate standing orders was only valid for a tenure of four years.
According to him, it is the tradition of the management of the National Assembly to always hand a new edition of the orders to every senator on the day of inauguration of a new Senate.
He added that the 2011 edition could not have been valid in 2015 for a new legislative assembly.
Although Marafa was ruled out of order by Saraki, another All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, Suleiman Hunkuyi, opted to take the matter further as the Secretary of Senate Unity Forum, a group loyal to Senator Ahmad Lawan, by petitioning the Inspector General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase, alleging forgery and calling for a thorough investigation.
However, in a statement released in Abuja by the media office of the governors of the opposition party and signed by Patrick Okon, the PDP Governors’ Forum frowned on what it described as the obvious prodding of the police by the presidency and the ruling APC “as a result of their desperation to remove the Deputy Senate President who was elected by his peers”.
The statement also declared support for the re-election bid of Governors Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Idris Wada of Kogi State in the forthcoming governorship elections in both states, stating that the electorate would show its confidence in their performance by re-electing them convincingly.
The PDP governors also called on the newly appointed acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari, to recuse herself from the role of acting chairman because of the obvious conflict of interest as a result of her long standing relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari in her private capacity and officially.
“The honourable thing for Mrs. Zakari to do is to recuse herself of this role, as nobody who knows the level of her relationship with the president can believe she will be impartial in her conduct of any matter that the president has vested interest in.
“In this case, the success of APC over the PDP in any election especially with the governorship elections coming up in Bayelsa and Kogi States,” the statement said.
The governors called on Nigerians to hold the APC accountable for all the broken promises, claiming that the ruling party had shown itself incapable of delivering on the change it promised during the campaigns.
Similarly, Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday came in defence of Ekweremadu, warning that any attempt to malign him would be stoutly resisted by the people of the South-east zone.
Secretary General of the organisation, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, who made this known while reacting to media reports regarding the alleged threat on the life of the lawmaker, said any attempt to either ridicule or tarnish the integrity of Ekweremadu on account of his election as a presiding officer of the Senate would not be tolerated.
The organisation said anybody threatening to harm Ekweremadu on account of the position he currently occupies should be ready to face the consequences, as he enjoys the strong support of his people who are ready to defend him anytime and any day.
Nwaorgu said that it was a well known fact that Ndigbo voted massively for the PDP in the last election and they are ready to stand by those they elected to represent them at various levels of government.
“We are watching closely what is happening at the national level and we want to let the world know that we are solidly behind our son, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
“I am saying it loud and clear that Senator Ekweremadu, who was duly elected by his colleague as Deputy President of the Senate, is owned by a people and his people, Ndigbo, are solidly behind him because they (Ndigbo) voted for the PDP.
“The grand standing by those seeking patronage from the ruling All Progressives Congress does not bother us. We stand by our choice without regrets. Let it be known to all that Ndigbo should not be taken for granted,” the group said.
The organisation dismissed claims by some APC senators that Ekweremadu was not properly elected, saying: “If he was not properly elected, why should the election of Senator Bukola Saraki conducted at the same time, same day, same venue and by the same people be upheld as flawless?”
Continuing, the Ohanaeze scribe said: “Moreover the executive has no lien on the legislators because they are independent and at liberty to elect anybody they like to lead them, which they have done.
“The party (APC) has no business with the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly and they should avoid overheating the polity.
“They should also know that President Muhammadu Buhari belongs to all Nigerians and not the APC alone. Therefore, the party has no right to say that they have the sole right to dictate what should happen at the National Assembly or in the country.”
He urged the APC-led federal government to concentrate on implementing its agenda in order to move the nation forward, stressing that it was not in its interest to kick-start the government with a crisis.
Also, the police authorities denied the statement by the PDP that it had invited Ekweremadu for questioning, saying it was investigating the case instead.
The Assistant Force Public Relations Officer (AFPRO) Abayomi Shogunle, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), told reporters yesterday at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, that although there was little information that could be given immediately, the case was being investigated, insisting that police did not invite the Deputy Senate President.
“We cannot send out invitation to any individual on a case like this, what we have done is to notify the Clerk of the National Assembly of the said petition, as procedure requires, so as to enable us carry out an unhindered investigation,” he said.
Shogunle said the “senator wrote the petition and we are investigating it. There is a petition by the senator that a particular senate document has being unlawfully or illegally substituted and on the basis of that, the police has set up an investigation team at the Force CID, and we wrote a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, but we cannot discuss the process of the investigation”.
In furtherance of its probe on the petition, the police yesterday met with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, and some principal officers over the alleged substitution of the Senate’s standing rules.
Shogunle confirmed that the meeting took place in the office of the clerk yesterday, reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Shogunle restated that a senator had petitioned the police, alleging that the standing rules of the Senate were substituted without the authorisation of the Senate.
He said that the meeting, during which some senators were questioned, was a follow-up to a request by the police to the clerk to facilitate it.
He also confirmed that the petitioner had made a statement to the police on the allegation.
Asked whether the petition was specifically targeted at the Deputy Senate President, the deputy force spokesman said it was not, clarifying it was “against procedure”.
Shogunle maintained that contrary to the alarm raised by the PDP, the Deputy Senate President was not invited by the police and declined further comments, adding that the matter was under investigation.
Also commenting on the probe by the police, Ekweremadu monday assured Nigerians and the international community that all democratic steps were being taken to preserve the nation’s democracy and protect the independence of the legislature.
Ekeremadu made the statement through his Special Adviser, Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu.
The statement said Ekweremadu had received numerous calls and messages from elder statesmen, governors, and lawmakers across party lines over the threat to his freedom.
“Nigerians have continued to express utter dismay and concern over the unfolding drama in which his life and liberty are being threatened by desperate politicians,” it stated.
The Deputy President of the Senate further assured Nigerians that necessary steps were being taken by the security agencies to beef up security around him.
He commended the security agencies for the professional manner they were handling the situation.
He also commended youths across the country for volunteering to provide additional security around him.
He however noted that “no amount of intimidation or harassment will deter me from carrying out the constitutionally prescribed duties.
“Duties, which on June 9, 2015, the PDP and APC senators willingly elected me in the full glare of the world to perform”.
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