Ahead of the Monday arraignment of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekwerenmadu by the Federal Government on Monday over Senate Rules forgery case, Ohanaze youth forum has threatened a showdown with the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami. Specifically, the youth stated that they would mobilize similar groups to scuttle the arraignment, stressing that the prosecution was politically induced.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday and signed by the co-chairman, Mazi Okemiri Alex, the Youth warned the AGF not to touch the deputy senate president, Ekwernmadu who they said was “their son”. According to the statement, the Senate as an independent body had investigated the case in question and found the presiding officers not guilty, demanding that the federal government should allow the national assembly to do its job in the spirit and letters of the principle of separation of powers.
The statement read thus: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council is alarmed by the sudden resurfacing of the arraignment of the Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu over the purported forgery of the Senate 8th session rules.
“In as much as we do not condone any act of illegality,from any quarters, we make bold to state that the present attempt to arraign Senator Saraki and Ekweremadu is ill-motivated and politically induced.
“The issue at stake has been investigated by the Senate and the duo found guiltless in the past.The Senate is the highest law making body in the country and the principle of separation of power confer on them the privilege to internally investigate and even discipline any of their erring members.
“Also the principle of separation of powers presupposes that the three arms of government viz, Executive, legislature and the Judiciary have a reasonable level of independence , though working in synergy.If the Senate has not found the duo guilty, is it the Judiciary or the Executive that should do so.
“We therefore advise the AGF representing the judiciary and the Executive arm to allow and respect the principle of separation of powers. In particular our son Senator Ike Ekweremadu is occupying the highest political office in the South East and should not be unduly humiliated and embarrassed by this recurring antics. We shall no longer take this lightly.
“We shall mobilize other like groups all over the country to resist the tyrannisation of democracy in our country”. (Vanguard)
