The Deputy Senate President, Ike EKweremadu had posited that the forgery case charges slammed against him, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and two top bureaucrats of the National Assembly by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, would not stand the rigour of proof of evidence in law , when the trial begins properly next month.
EKweremadu, according to a statement issued by his media aide last night, Uche Anichukwu, stated this while having in audience , members of Enugu State Economic Advisory Committee at his residence in Enugu.
He based his assertion on the fact that none of the written statements of the 14 witnesses lined up by the prosecutors directly indicted him or any of the three other accused of forgery of the Senate Standing rules 2015 in any way.
“As a lawyer, I know what is called Proof of Evidence, that is the statement of witnesses who are going to confront you with the offence for which you are being charged.
“I was served, and I have read this document (court process) from the first page to the last page; no witness said any of us committed any offence.
“Our only offence is that Senator Bukola Saraki and myself emerged as President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate respectively . Some people found it unacceptable, and that is why we are being charged, not that we committed any offence”, he said.
The statement added that the Deputy Senate President who is also a member of the high-powered Economic Advisory Committee set up by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi at the inception of his administration, reiterated his commitment to the principles of the separation of power, independence of the legislature, and growth of the nation’s democracy.
He said: “I am indeed humbled by your solidarity. As they say, the true test of a man is not where he stands in the time of comfort; it is where he stands when there is crisis. Many people may not take this step of faith because of the situation we found ourselves in the country; some may be afraid of their liberty and afraid of any reprisals. But you have stepped out to come and show solidarity and ask questions in a matter concerning one of your sons.
“Let me start by saying that I reinstate my innocence; that I committed no offence or forged any documents; and non of the accused persons to the best of my knowledge committed any offence, let alone forging any document. Let me also say that no senator accused me, President of the Senate or the other people of committing any offence. No senator or bureaucrat accused us of forging any document.
Earlier the Chairman of the Committee, Monsignor Prof. Obiora Ike, said members were in Ekweremadu’s residence to get his own side of the case as regards what is happening at the National Assembly, and thanked him for granting them audience.
He declared the total support of the committee members to the Deputy Senate President by saying “our people stand behind you, our people believe in you and our people are praying for you; and when you are in public service, there is always trouble, but when you are forthright, you will always triumph.
“We respect the principles of democracy, which speak of separation of powers among the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. In the year 1625, Montesquieu De Baron, a French philosopher spoke about the separation of powers as a guarantee of true freedom; because he believed that despotism and dictatorship will lead to anarchy, they will lead to lack of freedom. But if you separated powers, and regulated them by law, then you had a stable society. And that was in Europe at a time of Monarchism to the enlightenment”.