Ethnic nationalities condemn prosecution of Saraki, Ekweremadu

A COALITION of Ethnic Nationalities
Youth Organizations in the country has
condemned the planned prosecution of the
Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and his
Deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu by the Federal
Government over alleged forgery of Senate
Rule, saying that it is a “threat to democracy”.

Describing the forgery charges as “trumped up”,
the group, in a statement issued in Umuahia,
after visiting the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo
Youth Council, said the issue in contention was
“an internal affair of the senate and should be
resolved by the senators themselves based on
the principle of separation of powers.

“The issue of Senate Standing Rules/Order is an
internal affair of the senate and should, and
indeed has since been resolved by Senators on
the floor of the Senate on two different
occasions; the most recent being unanimously
adopting a resolution in its plenary on 21st July
2016, in accordance with the principle of
separation of powers, that the Senate Standing
Order 2015 is authentic”, the group said, adding
that Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High
Court had also confirmed that it was an internal
affair of the Senate.

The group alleged that the prosecution was a
pure political intimidation ahead of 2019 general
elections to cow the Saraki and Ekweremadu
leadership.