Cross River N/Assembly caucus warns against Imoke’s arrest

Soji-Eze Fagbemi, Abuja - 25.07.2008

The Cross River caucus in the National Assembly has warned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the arrest of Senator Liyel Imoke based on what they described as “shadowy premise bereft of any shred of evidence indicating malfeasance, corruption and abuse of office.”

Comprising its members from both the Senate and House of Representatives, the caucus said Senator Imoke was not the only Minister of Power since 1999 till date.

Besides, the caucus warned that it would be dangerous to hand over the areas ceded to Cameroun on August 14 as earlier pla-nned without a substantive governor in place, saying it had a serious security risk.

Though the caucus led by their chairman, Senator Bassey Ewa-Hensaw, said they did not say that Imoke should not be investigated and prosecuted if indicted of any corrupt practice, but they objected to the plan by some people to get him arrested by EFCC, using the report of the House of Representatives which has not been released.

Addressing a press conference at the National Assembly on Thursday, Senator Ewa-Henshaw condemned the campaign to “criminalise and stigmatise” the former governor, whose election was annulled by the election appeal tribunal in Calabar on July 14.

The senator said the Cross River caucus in the National Assembly was surprised and taken aback by the verdict of the tribunal, but accepted the judgment delivered by the eminent jurists as law-abiding citizens and legislators.