Deputy Senate President denies owning ‘hidden properties’

Senator Ike Ekweremadu

Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has denied reports that he owned hidden properties over which he was grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday.

In a statement made available to the press in Abuja by his Special Adviser (Media), Uche Anichukwu, he described reports credited to the EFCC as mere propaganda and concocted falsehood.

The statement reads, “My attention has been drawn to false reports in some national dailies that the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, developed High Blood Pressure in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, upon alleged presentation to him of a fresh set of purported ‘hidden properties’ supposedly acquired by him. There is no truth to this propaganda.

“It would be recalled that operatives of the EFCC and men of the Nigeria Police laid siege to his residence at about 6am on Tuesday, July 24, 2018, requesting him to report at its headquarters at 10am the same Tuesday. However, no letter of invitation was delivered to him until around 9am of that day.

“Since the siege would not allow him to honour the belated “invitation” the same day, he, as a law-abiding citizen, wrote to the EFCC to request for another date, hence the rescheduled appointment of Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

“Senator Ekweremadu honoured the 10am appointment on the fixed date and left in the evening of the same day when he was granted bail on self-recognizance with an understanding that he would report at the EFCC office at 10am the next day for a continuation of the interview.”

“He reported at the EFCC on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, at 10am as scheduled, but informed them that he was not feeling well, a fact the EFCC doctor confirmed. He was then allowed to leave to see his doctor and it was agreed that a new date would be fixed for continuation of the interview.”

“So, there was no interrogation whatsoever on Wednesday, let alone presentation of so-called additional “facts” that purportedly triggered his blood pressure. Likewise, there were no new “facts” presented to him the previous day, Tuesday, July 31, beside those concocted by the dismissed Chief Judge of Enugu State, Innocent Umezulike and his cohorts in their petition.”

“The Office feels compelled by the mischief and orchestrated media trial to put the “facts” straight on this particular issue,” he noted.