Forgery case: PDP alleges witch-hunt against Ekweremadu

 

From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condemned the ongoing trial of the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, saying the forgery charge was a deliberate plot to tarnish the
personality and Office of the Deputy President of the Senate.
Speaking, yesterday, during a solidarity visit to the PDP Senate Caucus at the National Assembly Complex, leader of the delegation and Chairman of the PDP BoT, 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 apparently for political reasons.
He said while not trying to preempt the outcome the case already before the court, the party would be glad to see that fairness and justice was applied in the matter, declaring that any attempt to remove the deputy President of the Senate, would not augur well for the nation’s democracy, since Ekweremadu was elected to the position by  both PDP and APC senators.
“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 for political reasons, and we are strongly calling for fair hearing in the matter,” he said.
A former president of the senate, Adolphus Wabara, noted that the era of executive interference in legislative business was over, in view of the spirit of support among senators.
He said unlike before, the other 14 South-East senators were not interested in the seat of the Deputy President of Senate, but were rather behind Ekweremadu, just as  overwhelming number of senators were solidly behind Bukola Saraki and Ekweremadu leadership.
“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 realises that the era of executive interference was over,” Wabara, added.
Ekweremadu expressed gratitude to the BoT members for their 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.
“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.
“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,” Ekkweremadu said.
source: Sun News