Prior to their sentencing in the United Kingdom (UK), the Nigerian Senate is pleading for mercy for Ike Ekweremadu, the former Deputy Senate President, and his wife, Beatrice.
The Senate Minority Whip, Chukwuka Utazi, had sponsored the motion that led to the upper chamber’s decision.
When the lawmaker is sentenced on Friday at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London, the lawmakers urged the UK court to balance justice and mercy.
Ekweremadu: Temper Justice With Mercy, Reps Plead With UK Govt
Remember how the senator from Enugu West was found guilty of trying to get his daughter, Sonia Ekwereamdu, an organ transplant by trying to take one from a 21-year-old.
On Wednesday, Utazi stated on the senate floor that the upper legislative chamber is not contesting the decision but rather asking the UK Court to be lenient in its sentencing.
He remembered that Ekweremadu, who served as the ECOWAS Parliament’s Speaker and the Deputy Senate President for 12 years, had made significant contributions to the growth of democracy in Nigeria, West Africa, and beyond.
Ekweremadu and his wife are first-time offenders with no prior convictions, he continued, and as the case is being handled in the United Kingdom, a creative method to sentencing should be used that balances justice with mercy.
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Although it’s not a legal defense, Utazi claimed that Ekweremadu might have been unaware of how organ transplants work in the West. She added that the trial’s publicity should have served as enough of a warning to the lawmaker and his family going forward.
After being put to a vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who noted that Ekweremadu has made significant contributions to the Nigerian parliament, the motion was approved.
The ECOWAS parliament and the House of Representatives had appealed to the UK government and parliament on Ekweremadu’s behalf the day before the senate’s action.
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