There are strong indications that pro-Ahmed Lawan Senators, under the aegis Senate Unity Forum, were responsible for the petition to the Inspector- General of Police, Solomon Arase on alleged forgery of Senate Rules.
According to the letter to the Inspector-General of Police, which was signed by the group’s Secretary, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, {APC, Kaduna North}, the group complained that some principal officers in the seventh Senate changed the Senate Standing Orders 2011 as Amended with the inputs and contributions of other Senators.
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP had on Sunday raised alarm that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, summoned the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ekweremadu to appear before him yesterday at the Force Headquarters as fallout of the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Ekweremandu as his deputy.
The PDP, in a statement, had said the summon was borne out of a petition by some All Progressives Congress, APC, Senators who were opposed to the emergence of Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu, adding that the petition accused the Deputy Senate President of altering the Senate Rules on the process of election of the Presiding officers.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, while addressing journalists said the IGP, who invited Ekweremandu was acting on instruction and that the APC decided to arrest the Deputy Senate President after failing to get him to resign.
The Unity Forum letter to the IGP reads: “We write to bring to your attention, the existence of the fraudulent introduction of a 2015 Senate Standing Rules, as amended. We wish to attach the original and authentic Standing Order for 2011 that was used by the 7th Senate, Annexure A.
“We again annex Here to a purported amended Standing Orders 2015, which was used by the Clerk to the National Assembly (along with the Clerk of the Senate) in inaugurating the 8th Senate on June 9, 2015, Annexure B.
“The so called new Standing Orders purport to allow for secret instead of the open ballot system that has been prevalent in all Senate elections as permitted by the extant rules.
“This infraction, among others, arises from the fraudulent production of the Rules without an approved consideration by the 7th Senate. At no time was the Standing Orders of the Senate amended during the entire life of the 7th Senate neither has the 8th Senate sat for long enough to produce the rules now being circulated and in use.
“We therefore appeal that you use your good offices to investigate and bring to justice all persons who may have been responsible for this fraud which has led to the undue political crises and abnormalities in the politics.
“While you carry out your job in sanitizing the system, please, be assured of our esteemed regards.”
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