The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, were on Monday, docked before an Abuja
High Court at Jabi over their alleged complicity in forgery of the
Senate Standing Rules, 2015. The two lawmakers took turns and pleaded
not guilty to the two-count charge preferred against them by the federal
government.
They were arraigned alongside former
Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa and his
deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi. Shortly after the defendants entered
their plea to the charge marked CR/219/16, the Director of Public
Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Mohammed Diri, notified the court of FG’s
counter-affidavit opposing release of the accused persons on bail. Diri
told the court that the counter-affidavit which was filed Monday
morning, was still pending before the court’s registry. He therefore
persuaded trial Justice Yusuf Halilu to stand-down the matter for an
hour to enable the registry to transmit the process to the court for
hearing. Investigations revealed that FG, in its counter-affidavit, is
seeking remand of both Saraki and Ekweremadu in custody.
Meantime, there is heavy security
presence within perimeters of the court which shares boundary with the
Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, where Saraki is also answering to another
16-count charge bordering on his alleged false/anticipatory declaration
of assets. Supporters of the embattled lawmakers thronged the court
premises in their numbers to observe the proceeding.
Earlier, armed security operatives
barred photo-journalists from gaining entrance into the court premises, a
development that led to protest by the journalists. It took the
intervention of lawyers to persuade the mobile police men to grant the
camera men entry into the premises. Specifically, the four defendants
were alleged to have masterminded the usage of a bogus Senate Standing
Rules, for the July 9, 2015, election through which both Saraki and
Ekweremadu took over the leadership of the Senate.
FG maintained that the defendants had by
their conduct, committed an offence punishable under Section 97 (1) and
364 of the Penal Code Act. The two-count charge which was okayed by the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr.
Abubakar Malami, SAN, read: “That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa,
Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about,
the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms
Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired amongst
yourselves to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you
thereby committed the offence of conspiracy, punishable under Section
97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.
“That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa,
Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about
the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly complex, Three Arms
Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with fraudulent
intent, forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended), causing it
to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same
for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National
Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when you knew that the said
Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the
Senate Order. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section
364 of the Penal Code Law.”
Credit: Vanguard
Post a Comment