Ekweremadu writes UN, says ‘there’s a clear attempt to silence me’

Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, has written to the United Nations (UN), United States, European Union (EU), and other international organisations over the forgery trial brought against the leadership of the 8th senate.

The letter dated June 28, 2016, is titled: ‘Re: Trumped up charges against the presiding officers of the 8th Senate: Nigerian Democracy is in Grave Danger’. Ekweremadu said there is an attempt to silence him as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in the country.

He said the police had not invited him and others standing trial for questioning, meaning it is very clear that there is no justification for their arraignment. “I wish to forward to you the court summons containing the trumped up charges preferred against my person; the president of the senate, His Excellency, Senator Bukola Saraki, CON; and two others,” the letter read.

“I also wish to appeal to you to kindly find time to read through the annexures — petition by members of the senate unity forum, statements by persons interrogated, and the police report — to see if our appeared anywhere in these documents.

“You may, thereafter, judge for yourself whether the federal government, acting through the attorney-general of the federation, has any justification whatsoever to generate our names for trial. The list of the accused persons appear to have been politically generated because you cannot by the documents attached, relate any of our names to the offence for which we are now being charged.

“Moreover, the rules and principles of fair hearing have not been adhered to because the police have not interacted with me or the president of the senate as at the time of writing this letter.

“You may also wish to judge for yourself whether this trial orchestrated against me is not a political trial, calculated to witch-hunt, barefaced intimidation, and a clear attempt to emasculate the parliament and silence me as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in Nigeria.

“Meanwhile, it could also be recalled that an attempt was made on my life on November 17, 2015. The Nigerian security agencies did nothing, even though the incident was duly reported.

“This is for your information and reflection.”