Ekweremadu, EFCC trade words over senator’s claim “presidency cabal” plotting to frame him

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Wednesday said he had uncovered a plot by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and “cabal in the presidency” to plant incriminating items in his residence in Enugu State, a claim the anti-graft agency denied.

Raising the allegation on the floor of the Senate, Mr. Ekweremadu said the said cabal and the EFCC were working in cahoot to raid his Enugu house, after planting “huge amount of money with different currencies such as British Pound Sterling, United States dollars, Indian rupee, South Africa rand and Malaysian Ringgit and other cooked documents” in it.

The alleged plot, Mr. Ekweremadu said, was to frustrate his political career by framing, indicting and removing him from office.

He read a letter which he claimed was written to him by an EFCC insider, titled ‘Please Treat This With Utmost Secrecy by Protecting the Identity of the Source.’

Read the letter: “To the Deputy Senate President: I am a trained investigative journalist working under the EFCC ‘covert intelligence spy police.’

“Distinguished senator, there is a grand plan from the cabal in the Presidency, using EFCC as an anti-graft agency, to indict and remove you from office. This cabal in the Presidency has mandated the EFCC chairman to carry out this evil operation within two weeks.

“The plan and the trap goes like this: On the 6th of May 2017 – Saturday night stroke Sunday morning – the EFCC, alongside local and international media, both print and TV and radio, will raid an apartment under the guise of whistle blowing policy of the Federal Government with a search warrant already obtained in the magistrate’s court to search an apartment alleging to be one of your guest houses in Enugu State capital or any suitable available apartment in your senatorial district that will serve this evil purpose.

“EFCC (will be) claiming to have received a tip-off from a whistle-blower in your state alerting the agency of a ‘large huge’ amount of money of different currencies in the said apartment belonging to you, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a proceed of which is likely to be (considered as) illegally obtained and acquired, which constitute abuse of office and corruption.

“The things to be discover in said apartment are a huge amount of money with different currencies such as British Pound Sterling, United States dollars, Indian rupee, South Africa rand and Malaysian Ringgit; documents alleging to be yours such as 2015 campaign memo and logistics, a list of names chairman local wards of party men and women that benefited from your empowerment program; and other cooked documents bearing your signature.”

After the plenary, the PDP caucus in the Senate told Journalists federal government planned to arrest Mr. Ekweremadu and former governors belonging to the party on trump up charges.

But in its reaction, the EFCC through its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, denied the senator’s claim and warned it would not succumb to blackmail.

“It must be emphatically stated for the benefit of Senator Ekweremadu and others who share similar misconception and jaundiced views of the EFCC, that the commission does not need any grand plot to arrest and prosecute him if he is found to have violated any law that EFCC enforces.” the commission said.