… Fail to indict Ekweremadu, any officer

THE police have referred the report on the probe into alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to establish whether it is a criminal matter or an inter­nal affair of the legislature.

This is coming at a time fresh findings revealed that the report neither mentioned the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekwer­emadu, nor anyone in the report.

Daily Sun gathered that the police report did not recommend anybody for prosecution, leaving the of­fice of the Attorney General of the Federation to decide what to do.

Meanwhile, the police report has been marred in controversy, as senators supporting Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said only those aligning with Senator Ahmad Lawan gave evi­dence to the police.

Also, they said no Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator or the leadership of the 7th Senate, including former Senate president, David Mark; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, or the former Senate leader, Victor Ndo­ma-Egba, was questioned.

It was gathered that the seven senators questioned by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Dan’Azumi Doma-led team were Senators Suleiman Hunkuyi, Secretary of the Senate Unity Forum (who signed the petition to the po­lice), Ahmad Lawan, Abdul­lahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Gbenga Ashafa, Robert Boroffice and Abu Ibrahim.

Also questioned were Senator Ita Enang, who served as chairman of the Business and Rules Com­mittee in the 7th Senate, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Solomon Ewuga.

In their testimony to the police, it was learnt that the APC senators denied the amendment of the rules during the 7th Senate. The Clerk of the National As­sembly, Alhaji Salisu Mai­kasuwa, who conducted the election, reportedly told the police he, “did not refer to any Senate Standing Order/ Rules but used the normal procedures for the opening of a new parliament.”

The Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Ben Efeturi, police source re­vealed, told the investigative team that the production of the new rules was according to convention, insisting that the issue of forgery did not arise.

He was quoted by the po­lice report as saying: “The Senate Standing Orders 2003, 2007 and 2011 fol­lowed the same procedure as that of the 2015,” empha­sising that in the parliament, amendment of Standing Or­ders was by practice and not necessarily by procedure.

The deputy clerk further stated that the ruling of the Senate president on June 24, 2015, that the Standing Or­ders of the Senate 2015 was authentic, was final, relevant and could not be challenged.


Source: Sun