NASS crisis: Police deny inviting Ekweremadu

Posted by admin General Politics, Latest Politics, National Politics, Nigerian Police, Top Stories Monday, July 6th, 2015

From MOLLY KILETE, Abuja

The Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, denied reports that it summoned Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for interrogation over alleged forgery of the Senate Rules on election of its principal officers.

It however, said it wrote a letter to the clerk of the National Assembly, to facilitate a meeting between police investigation team and some principal officers of the federal legislature for the purposes of addressing allegations of unlawful substitution of the rules for their election.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had on Sunday, raised the alarm that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, summoned Ekweremadu to appear before a team of investigators at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

Reacting to the report, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Shogunle, confirmed that the meeting actually held yesterday at the premises of the National Assembly as agreed by the clerk, but refused to give details of what transpired.

In a telephone interview with Daily Sun in Abuja, Shogunle said the meeting between the police and top officers of the National Assembly was necessitated by a petition by a senator who alleged that a particular document of the Senate found its way to the public domain without following due process. He said the meeting was to find out how the document found its way to the public and those behind it.

He said it was because of their determination to get to the root of the matter that the police sought to hold the meeting with only principal members of the National Assembly instead of making it an all-comer affair.

“I want to tell you that the meeting actually took place yesterday, Monday, at the National Assembly because we gave the clerk of the Assembly the liberty to chose a date, venue and time for the meeting and he graciously chose Monday, and that meeting has taken place, but I cannot give you further details on that because it is all about investigation.

“We want to find out how the document got to the public domain and because of the sensitive nature of the matter, we decided to invite only principal members of the assembly,” Shogunle stated. .

“Remember, we are only investigating how a particular document of the Senate was alleged to be unlawfully substituted without due authorization; that is the allegation the police is investigating.

“And for such thing to have happened, the clerk and principal officers should be in the know; weather the normal procedure was followed. “Remember the petition was written by a senator who has made a statement to the police, as well as other senators supporting his claims,” he said.

-Punchwp_posts