The Senate has referred its president, Bukola Saraki, and controversial Senator, Dino Melaye, to the committee on ethics and privileges over allegations of importing a car with fake Customs documents and certificate forgery respectively.
The resolution, on
Tuesday, followed a motion by the former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, who said the
two cases – alleged seizure of car belonging to Mr. Saraki and Mr. Melaye’s
certificate scandal – had made the Senate subject of public ridicule.
Mr. Ndume categorically
said Nigerians were insulting the Senate over the scandals and, therefore,
urged the Senate to investigate Messrs. Saraki and Melaye.
Deputy Senate
President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided in the absence of Mr. Saraki who went
to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for his corruption trial, referred the matters
to the committee on ethics and privileges chaired by Samuel Anyanwu.
The committee has four
weeks to report back to the Senate, Mr. Ekweremadu ruled.
The two matters
involving Mr. Saraki and his ally, Mr. Melaye, were made public following
reports by Sahara Reporters about how a bullet proof Range Rover purportedly
belonging to Mr. Saraki was imported with fake papers and seized by the Nigeria
Customs Service.
The Comptroller-General
of the NCS, Hameed Ali, is currently at loggerheads with the Senate which
insists the retired colonel must wear Customs uniform to appear before the
lawmakers on Wednesday.
Sahara Reporters’
report suggested the Senate was tough on Mr. Ali because Customs seized Mr.
Saraki’s car.
But
seizure is yet to be confirmed by the NCS.
The paper also said Mr.
Melaye did not graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, contrary to the
Senator’s claim. But Mr. Melaye denied the allegation, saying he is even
currently studying for a postgraduate degree in the school.
Since his removal as
Senate Leader after a fallout with Mr. Saraki over the rejection of the
nomination of Ibrahim Magu for the top job at the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, Mr. Ndume has been openly tackling Mr. Saraki.
He once asked the
Senate President to disclose the details of the National Assembly’s budget to
both the public and the lawmakers.
Nigerians following the
Senate proceedings online dismissed the probe of Mr. Saraki and Mr. Melaye.
“The outcome is already
known…clean bill of health,” said Achilleus Uchegbu on Facebook.
-Premium Times
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