The Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, has summoned the Deputy Senate President, Senetor Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged forgery of the Senate Rules.

Meanwhile, The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership has raised the alarm over the invitation reportedly extended to Ekweremadu.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, said the acclaimed amendment to the rule was effected by the bureaucracy of the National Assembly headed by the Clerk, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa.

Metuh said the invitation from the police boss was a build-up to phantom charges with a view to arresting and incarcerating Ekweremadu, and thereby creating a vacuum in the Senate and pave the way for the imposition of a preferred APC senator to take his position.

The party accused certain unnamed All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders of instigating the police action against Ekweremadu, adding that the party had uncovered threats to the life of the Deputy Senate President and other key leaders of the PDP.

Perhaps, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has also denied involvement in the invitation of Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, by the Inspector General of Police to defend himself of allegations of forgery.

 The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, in a statement denied that the APC wrote a petition to the police.

The statement said APC had no knowledge that any petition was written against Ekweremadu, warning however that the police should not be prevented from carrying out its duties

According to Mohammed, “if, as the PDP claims, the petition concerns alleged altering of the Senate’s Standing Rules on the process of electing presiding officers, that is a clear case of forgery, which the police have a duty to investigate. Questioning the right of the police to carry out their duties in this regard amounts to intimidating the security agency.

“Forgery is a crime that is being regularly investigated by the police, and it beggars belief that such investigation will now be interpreted to mean that Nigeria is descending into dictatorship or that democracy and the enjoyment of personal freedoms are now endangered. These claims by the scaremongering PDP are far-fetched and preposterous.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly said that, at every point, the law must be supreme and everyone must respect the law, if the nation’s democratic system is to survive.”

Moreover, the Nigeria Police Force has denied allegations of plans to arrest Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu.

Force Assistant Spokesman CSP Abayomi Shogunle, on Sunday, said a senator wrote a petition to the IGP that the rules of the house were altered for Ekweremdu to emerge Deputy President of the Senate.

Shogunle said that after the preliminary investigations, the Force CID wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly to arrange the time and place for police investigators to meet with some senators for interrogations.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force also released on its Facebook page, a statement to clarify the matter.

It said, “The Nigeria Police Force received a petition from a Senator alleging unauthorized substitution of Senate document, the matter was referred to Force CIID Abuja for investigation.

“In line with the policy of the Police leadership of gathering evidence before invitation, a letter was sent to the Clerk of National Assembly to facilitate a meeting of some principal Senate members/Clerk with Police investigating team headed by DIG FCIID at their convenient time and venue.

“No plans to arrest Deputy Senate President as NPF have healthy respect for democratic values.”