The case of Nnamdi Kanu is currently before the courts, and as a rule, the National Assembly does not interfere in judicial proceedings.
On Friday, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who had previously served as the Senate Minority Leader, disputed allegations that he had shut down the National Assembly to seek the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who is currently locked up.
Earlier, a rumor that was published on the internet said that Senator Abaribe had shut down the National Assembly and demanded that Nnamdi Kanu be released immediately. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe took a dramatic stand, demanding the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu. As stated in the article, this resulted in chaos within the Nigerian National Assembly.
Nevertheless, the report is without foundation, as stated in a statement issued by his media aide, Uchenna Awom, who urges members of the public to dismiss it.
He specifically claimed that the report’s goal was to obstruct the negotiations for political solutions that would secure Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
The statement titled, “Discard as false report of Senator Abaribe disrupting Senate plenary for Kanu” reads: The office of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has been drawn to a false and very misleading report purporting disruption of Senate Plenary by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanding the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu.
“The report is false and was at best a concoction that defiles logic. It was a deliberate misinformation that tends to narrate a sinister motive aimed at sabotaging the ongoing effort at exploring political solution to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Distinguished Senator Abaribe was last seen on the Senate floor last Wednesday and travelled out of Abuja on Thursday for an oversight function in Ikwuano Umuahia, Abia State, organised by the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“In any case, the Senate does not sit on Fridays – it conducts its plenary sessions from Tuesdays to Thursdays, making the claim of a shutdown on a Friday baseless.
“Matters that are sub judice (under judicial consideration) are not debated in the Senate – the case of Nnamdi Kanu is currently before the courts, and as a rule, the National Assembly does not interfere in judicial proceedings.
“Therefore, Senator Abaribe couldn’t have embarked on such effort knowing its futility. He did not lead any protest or obstructed legislative proceedings.
“The public is therefore urged to disregard this fabricated report and refrain from sharing unverified information.”