Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate
president, says he is prepared to answer the call of Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) on any allegation.
Uche Anichukwu, media aide of
Ekeweremadu, quoted the deputy senate president as saying this when he received
a delegation led by Emmanuel Chukwuma, archbishop of Enugu province, Anglican
Communion, on Sunday evening.
Last week, a combined team of
police officers and EFCC operatives laid siege to the residence of the deputy
senate president.
Thereafter, the EFCC served him
an invitation over alleged money laundering but the lawmaker has said his hands
are clean.
Ekeweremadu explained that he has
never managed resources or been in a position to give out contracts.
“I have been a town union
president, chairman of a local government, chief of staff and secretary to the
state government, senator since 2003, vice-chairmen and chairman of several
committees, deputy president of the senate since 2007, and I have been deputy
speaker of the ECOWAS parliament before I became the speaker. Today I am a
member of the Global Parliament for Tolerance and Peace,” the statement read.
“In all of these, I have never
managed government resources or finances or being in a position to give
contracts or receive contracts. When I was local government chairman, I allowed
the secretary of the council to run the affairs when it was time for giving
contracts. When I was secretary to the Enugu state government, I refused to be
part of the tenders board because of things like these.
“When I became the deputy
president of the senate in 2007, there was something they used to call the body
of principal officers that awarded contracts. I told the president of the
senate that we had to stop it and let the national assembly management deal
with contracts, and that if it was to continue, I was not going to part of it.
He saw my point and agreed with me.
“All the oil and election probes
they have done in Nigeria, nobody can mention my name. The money they pay me
for my services has always been enough for me. If you have any proof that I
stole government money, I challenge you to come out and say it. I have never
ever even been in a position to do that.
“So, when Justice Innocent
Umezulike and his cohorts wrote a petition to the EFCC that I was given money
to go and develop the south-east zone and I used it to buy 32 properties, I
laughed at them because nobody gives you money to go and develop your house let
alone developing a zone. Nobody has ever given me money to do any contract.
“So, my hands are clean. But if
the EFCC wants me to come and answer that, I am prepared to answer any call
from anybody as a responsible citizen. Even at that, I will continue to
advocate justice, rule of law, and equity.”
The deputy senate president
wondered why there is a desperation to annihilate him politically.
“In all my statements, my
position on things that have happened in Nigeria, I have always meant the best
for Nigeria. I have never for once, personally attacked anybody, including the
president,” it read.
“I have been worried about the
security situation and the injustice that is accompanying the programmes of the
government. Those are the issues I have always addressed and I have tried to be
as objective as possible.
“So, why the government or its
agencies or the party that is in power feels that I am a threat is what I don’t
understand. For as long as you are in government, you are supposed to be
democratic. I don’t have one personal problem with anybody, but because of my
position on some of these things, people have tried to kill me. About 2015,
there was an assassination attempt on my life and up till now, nobody has
investigated that matter.”
He said there have been several
attempts to remove him as the deputy president of the senate but he is not
worried because “it is God that gives power and it is only him that can take
it.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com