My hands are clean, says Ekweremadu, Buhari wants to silence us… – Senate

Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, has exonerated himself from the alleged forgery of the senate standing order 2011, saying he has no business with the production of the document.

There have been media reports that Ekweremadu and Senate President Bukola Saraki would be arraigned before a federal high court in Abuja, over criminal conspiracy and forgery of the senate document.

Reports also have it that Ekweremadu might be arrested later in the week for refusing to honour police invitation.

But reacting through Uche Anichukwu, his special assistant on media and publicity, the lawmaker said he will not be cowed by any attempt to distract him from carrying out his duties as a senator.

“The hands of Sen Ike Ekweremadu are clean because he has no business whatsoever with the production of senate standing orders,” the statement read.

“This is the latest attempt to try and convict him in the court of public opinion, notwithstanding that we do not want to mount a public defence.

“We would rather meet them in court if they so wish.

“We plead with our supporters across the nation to maintain the peace and go about their normal businesses unperturbed by this latest act of harassment and impunity.

“We want to reassure them that no form of intimidation and onslaught to rubbish him will make him shy away from diligently carrying out the constitutional duties.

“Ekweremadu will not legislate in fear, and he will certainly not fear to legislate.”

The statement emphasised that though the deputy president of the senate had not been invited as reported, he would not be deterred.

“An attempt on his life in November 2015 did not deter him despite the fact that there is no information to show that the police investigated an incident of such magnitude duly reported to them,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the senate has accused the executive arm of government led by President Muhammadu Buhari of attempting to “muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes” in order to cause leadership change in the national assembly.

In a strongly worded statement issued moments after the president returned to the country at the end of his London trip, the upper chamber said the executive is so desperate to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, that it does not mind “sacking the constitution”.

The senate asked Buhari to respect the principle of separation of powers and also call Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation to order, insisting that the independence of the legislature must be respected.

-Premium Times / Thecable