Ethnic nationalities condemn prosecution of Saraki, Ekweremadu

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.