Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has declared its readiness to resist any attempt to discredit the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged non-declaration of some his assets
There are fears that Ekweremadu may lose some of his assets following legal moves by the Federal Government to prosecute him.
The government accuses him of owning local and foreign assets he did not declare as expected by law to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Ekweremadu has, however, denied any wrongdoing, saying he declared all his assets.
The President-General of Ohaneze, Dr. Nnia Nwodo, in a statement he issued on Thursday in Enugu, said that it was preposterous for the government to be carrying out unwarranted inquisition into Ekweremadua��s life.
He said that the allegation that Ekweremadu, the highest ranking Igbo politician in the country, embezzled public funds without any prima facie case was inappropriate.
Nwodo stated that the idea of asking the senator to defend himself instead of his accusers showing how he fraudulently enriched himself, amounted to turning the law upside down.
He said that the Deputy Senate President is a revered Igbo son and had attracted a lot of development to his area without any previous accusation of embezzlement.
a�?Senator Ekweremadu is a revered Igbo son whose public image is very high and who has attracted a lot of development to his area; he has never occupied any public office where he was accused of embezzlement.a�?
The Ohanaeze chief queried the system of investigation where one was tried for simply belonging to a political party a�?and is exonerated of an offence he committed for belonging to a political party or being in government.a�?
He said that some serving military officers had been let off the hook either through plea bargain or for just changing from one political party to another.
Nwodo also said that a former governor of Enugu State whose property was under investigation was now dining with President Muhammadu Buhari after dumping his former party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nwodo warned that the apex Igbo group would no longer fold it arms while Igbo sons were being systematically singled out for persecution in a country they had contributed so much to build.
He observed that the cautionary statement by Ekweremadu had been and was still being echoed by many prominent Nigerians and wondered why his case would be different.
He said that it was such selective justice and marginalisation of Ndigbo that fuelled agitations by their young ones for self-determination, adding that restructuring was a first step toward assuaging the situation.
Asset Declaration Saga: Ohanaeze to resist plot to discredit Ekweremadu
