Forgery Trial: PDP BoT Tells Buhari, APC to Leave Indicted Ekweremadu Alone

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Featured Contributors/Columnists, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, July 20th, 2016

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

ABUJA, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the ongoing trial of the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged forgery of the Senate Rules, saying it was a deliberate plot to tarnish the personality and Office of his office.

Speaking on Tuesday, when it paid a solidarity visit to the party’s Caucus at the National Assembly (NASS) Complex, leader of the delegation and BoT Chairman Senator Walid Jibril, noted that as fathers and conscience of the party, the BoT could not sit and watch the framing-up of the Deputy President of the Senate on trumped-up charge of forgery, apparentlyy for political reasons.

He further said that, while not trying to pre-empt the outcome the case, already before the court, the party said it would gladden its heart to see that fairness and justice, was applied in the matter, declaring that any attempt to remove Ikweremadu would not augur well for the nation’s democracy, since he was elected to the position by the support of both PDP and APC Senators.

The BoT Chairman, added: “We are here to show solidarity and recognise the leadership of Senator Ekweremadu, especially when we hear stories of what is happening to him. We are here to give our total support to him over the recent framing of him in an alleged forgery case, because we cannot, as fathers and conscience of the party, sit down and just watch.

“Senator Ekweremadu is a man of integrity with a high record of performance. We want to advise strongly that nobody should try to tarnish his personality and we are strongly calling for fair hearing and justice in the attempt to rope-in Senator Ekweremadu for political reasons.

“He was elected Deputy President of Senate by 48 PDP senators with the support of APC Senators, which is a good ingredient of our democracy. No attempt should be made to rope him in. He should be left alone to continue the good service to the country”.

On his part, another ranking member of the BoT and former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara, noted that the era of executive interference in legislative business, was over, given the spirit of support among Senators.

He said unlike before, the other 14 South East Senators were not interested in the seat the Ekweremadu’s position, but were rather behind Ekweremadu, just as the overwhelming number of Senators were solidly behind Saraki and Ekweremadu leadership, adding that the unity of purpose was one big lesson the executive should learn.

“I speak as a victim of executive interference in the legislature. During our own time, there was not the kind of unity being exhibited by the Senators today. I want to commend and salute you all for that. The last time the two Presiding Officers went to court, as I watched on television, I was moved to tears. The court was on vacation, and no one had the courtesy of informing them before hand.

“The time they would have used to attend to the nation’s task, was wasted, going to court. It is high time the executive realizes that the era of executive interference was over,” Wabara, added.

Responding, Senator Ekweremadu expressed gratitude to the BoT members for its show of solidarity and support, which he said showed that it was not only the conscience of the PDP, but also of the country as well.

He said: “You have shown that you are indeed our fathers and mothers and I cannot see any parent who will sit aside and watch his children being persecuted without showing concern and solidarity. You have actually lived up to the expectations of well meaning Nigerians, and the idea behind founding the BoT, by its founding fathers.

“As a party, we are committed to the ideals of democracy, especially the issues of the rule of law. We cannot run away from the fact that without the rule of law, there will be no country. We, as a party, remain committed to the rule of law, which is synonymous with democracy. And we shall continue to do everything possible to preserve it.”