The coronation ceremony of the King of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Commonwealth, King Charles III, may have presented a perfect opportunity to make pardon pleas on behalf of the embattled Nigerian lawmaker, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
This is according to the submission of a UK-based legal practitioner, Kayode Ajulo, who advised those seeking a soft landing for the former Deputy Senate President to channel their pleas to the British royal family and not the legal system.
Pulse reports that Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a doctor, Obinna Obeta, were all sentenced to prison by a United Kingdom court on Friday, May 5, 2023, having been found guilty of organ trafficking offences back in March.
The Central Criminal Court of London sentenced the Nigerian lawmaker to nine years and eight months in prison on Friday, while Beatrice would serve a four-year and six-month term and Obeta bagged 10 years for his role in the crime.
Prior to the sentencing, highly reputable bodies and individuals including the Nigerian House of Representatives, ECOWAS Parliament, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo among others wrote to the court pleading for clemency for Ekweremadu.
But, appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ajulo said the letters were a wrong approach.
The lawyer described such moves as erroneous and could easily pass as an attempt to interfere in the court process.
Proffering a better solution, Ajulo said: “Now that Ekweremadu has been sentenced, this is the time to do that (ask for pardon). Tomorrow King Charles III will be coronated as the King of England, as the Head of State.
“There is what is called royal prerogative for pardon, I believe anybody that wants to write a letter, anybody that wants to make a plea for Ekweremadu, this is the best time to ask the sovereignty of the United Kingdom; that is His Majesty King Charles III to pardon Ekweremadu.
“The precedent has been there since as far back as 1717, King George did the same. In 2003 and even as close as 2021, the same thing happened. Sovereign can do that and I believe that is the plea we need to do for Ekweremadu, not to be writing and interfering with the conduct of the court.”
Pulse also reported that Ekweremadu’s ailing daughter, Sonia, said she feels guilty about her parents’ conviction for organ trafficking in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to the BBC in an interview on Friday, Sonia, who was also tried alongside her parents but escaped conviction, expressed her guilt over her parent’s ordeal.
