ABUJA – FRESH facts emerged yesterday that Senators under the aegis, Senate Unity Forum, a group loyal to Senator Ahmed Lawan, Yobe North were responsible for the petition to the Inspector- General of Police, Solomon Arase on alleged Senate Rules ‘ Forgery.’
The letter to the Inspector- General of Police was signed by the group’s Secretary, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Kaduna North where the group complained that some principal officers in the seventh Senate changed the Senate Standing Orders 2011 As Amended with the inputs and contributions of other Senators.
It would be recalled that Senator Ahmed Lawan was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC for the position of Senate President, but Senator Bukola Saraki was on June 9 elected Senate President along side Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as Deputy President of the Senate.
National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had on Sunday raised alarm that as a fall out to the election of the Senate President and his deputy June 9, Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu respectively, the Inspector- General of Police, IGP summoned the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ekweremadu to appear before him yesterday at the Force Headquarters.
According to PDP, the summon was borne out of a petition by some All Progressives Congress, APC senators who were opposed to the emergence of Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu, accusing the Deputy Senate President of altering the Senate Rules on the process of election of the Presiding officers, just as the party reiterated that the APC should remain eternally grateful to its senators who were magnanimous, mature and patriotic enough not to have taken the advantage of the day to take the position of Senate President too.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh who addressed Journalists alleged that the IGP who was acting on instruction, has invited Senator Ekweremadu with a view to arresting him over what the PDP termed phantom charges, incarcerate him, then create a vacuum in the Senate and pave way for the imposition of an All Progressives Congress, APC Senator to take over his position, adding that as a party, it got reports that there were moves to compromise security around him to make him vulnerable and open for sponsored violent attacks.
Metuh who noted that the letter inviting Ekweremadu to his office, dated July 1, 2015 was written and signed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of criminal investigation at the Force Headquarters, stressed that when the Deputy Senate President gets there, he would be detained and put under pressure, adding, “However, having failed to get him to resign, the APC has now engaged in heinous plots to force him out of office, a design, which totally negates the independence of the legislature and the spirit and letters
of the constitution of Nigeria.
of the constitution of Nigeria.
The letter which was addressed to the IGP, Solomon Arase, signed by Senator Hunkunyi read, “We write to bring to your attention, the existence of the fraudulent introduction of a 2015 Senate Standing Rules, as amended. We wish to attach the original and authentic Standing Order for 2011 that was used by the 7th Senate, Annexure A.
“We again annex Here to a purported amended Standing Orders 2015, which was used by the Clerk to the National Assembly (along with the Clerk of the Senate) in inaugurating the 8th Senate on June 9, 2015, Annexure B.
“The so called new Standing Orders purports to allow for secret instead of the open ballot system that has been prevalent in all Senate elections as permitted by the extant rules.
“This infraction, among others arise from the fraudulent production of the Rules without an approved consideration by the 7th Senate. At no time was the Standing Orders of the Senate amended during the entire life of the 7th Senate neither has the 8th Senate sat for long enough to produce the rules now being circulated and in use.
“We therefore appeal that you use your good offices to investigate and bring to justice all persons who may have been responsible for this fraud which has led to the undue political crises and abnormalities in the politics.
“While you carry out your job in sanitizing the system, please, be assured of our esteemed regards.”
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