Saraki, Ekweremadu: Ohaneze Youth Threaten Showdown with AGF

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

Ahead of the arraignment of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, by the federal government on Monday for alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules , Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has threatened a showdown with the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.

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, Ekweremadu, who they said was “our son”.

According to the statement, the Senate as an independent body had investigated the case in question and found the presiding officers not guilty.

It therefore called on the federal government to allow the National Assembly to do its job in accordance with the principle of separation of powers.

The statement read: “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 arraingn 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 confers on it the privilege to internally investigate and even discipline any of its 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.”