The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has berated Senate President, Ahmad Lawan who led other principal officers of the red chamber to welcome back their colleague, Abia North Senate representative, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who was recently released from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) in Kuje, Abuja.
Senator Kalu, alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Finance at the Abia State Government House, Jones Udeogu were in December convicted of a N7.65bn fraud, in an amended 39 counts which was filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former Abia governor had filed an application on Tuesday May 12, asking the court to order his release from the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service NCS, Kuje, Abuja, following the nullification of conviction of his co-defendant, Udeogu by the supreme court, on the grounds that the trial judge gave the judgment without jurisdiction.
Justice Mohammed Liman of the Lagos Federal High Court however granted the prayer of the applicant, and ordered the release of Kalu on Tuesday and was eventually released by the authorities of the Kuje NCS, at about 8pm, on Wednesday evening.
Following that, the senate president led other principal officers to the Senate Chief Whip’s residence at the Aso Villa area of Abuja on Thursday evening to pay him a “solidarity” visit.
In a joint statement by its Coordinator, Administration and Programmes, Tola Oresanwo and Chairman of CACOL, Mr Debo Adeniran, CACOL described the visit by the senate delegation headed by the Senate President as “a charade, travesty and a mockery on the intelligence of common Nigerians”.
“It shows that despite the horrible situation the country has found herself, due principally to good leadership that has eluded the country from independence, the leadership of the Senate are not bothered by the menace of corruption that has stagnated the destiny of this great country,” it stated.
“By their action, they have brought Nigeria to the spotlight again as a country whose leaders does not only celebrate corruption but are ‘fantastically corrupt” thereby making Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations’.
“It is regrettable that while some of us are perturbed and worrying about the Supreme Court judgment and its attendant implications for the legal jurisprudence and the fight against corruption in Nigeria, the leadership of the Senate is not in any way concerned and is more at home with felicitating and celebrating with the beneficiary of the Supreme Court Judgment.
“We found it amusing that the leadership of the second arm of government would leave their statutory duties and embark on a wild goose chase in the name of a “solidarity visit” to a man that was accused of stealing his state dry when he was a governor of the state.”
CACOL therefore called for an explanation from the leadership of the Senate to let Nigerians know what they set out to achieve with the visit to Orji Uzor Kalu.
“we also call on them to always see their position as the representatives of the people whom they would have to report to at one time or the other,” it added.
“They should also note that their actions or inactions are being recorded on the pages of history and that even generations yet unborn would read about all what they are doing now.”
