Thousand of indigenes of Enugu West Senatorial zone, Enugu State, yesterday engaged in peaceful protest against the ongoing trial of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for alleged forgery, insisting that his re-election into the current position did not violate any known convention.
The protesters accused a “cabal in the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government” of orchaestrating the plot to ensure that he was removed from his present position, irrespective of being the popular choice of the lawmakers.
Ekweremadu, Senate President, Bukola Saraki among others are standing trial for allegedly forging senate rules that aided elections into their present office.
However, his constituents who gathered from the five local government councils of Awgu, Aninri, Oji River, Ezeagu and Udi; that make up Enugu West senatorial zone, deplored the development, stressing that it was a determined attempt “by a cabal to continually harass and over-run our illustrious son and representative”. Led by several traditional rulers, lawmakers, political appointees and other notable indigenes of the zone, the placard carrying protesters marched through various streets in Awgu, headquarters of the senatorial zone to the constituency office of the member representing Oji River, Awgu and Aninri federal constituency, Toby Okechukwu, where they registered their displeasure against the ongoing trial.
The traditional ruler of Ekoli- Okpanku, Aninri council, Prof Sam Ukpabi, who read a statement on behalf of the zone, said since the re-election of Ekweremadu in June last year, a “cabal has neither hidden its hatred and disgust for him nor its declared intention to get rid of him by all means not minding that the process, which produced him was credible and transparent.”
Ukpabi said: “The ‘cabal’, which included a serving minister had boasted severally about this; we were surprised at how Ekweremadu was being dragged into a matter where a petition to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) that did not link him with forgery.”
Source: The Guardian
Post a Comment