The Federal Government has withdrawn the forgery charges it levelled against President of the Senate and his deputy, Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu.

In an application filed by the Ministry of Justice to amend the charges, only the former clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Salisu Maikasuwa, and a former deputy clerk, Mr. Ben Efeturi, were listed as the accused persons.

Saraki and Ekweremedu were charge alongside the clerk and deputy clerk of criminal conspiracy relating to the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders, 2015.

On Thursday, a litigation officer from the Ministry of Justice, Odudu Loveme deposed to an affidavit, which was attached to the new charges.

Loveme said the prosecutor, Aliyu Umar (SAN), had on September 30, in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution told him that he had studied the case diary and “had decided to amend the charges in the manner stated on the face of the motion paper”.

He stated that he had consequently filed the amended charges.

“That I depose to this affidavit in good faith believing same to be correct to the best of my knowledge and information and in accordance with the Oaths Act Cap 01 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.”

Count one of the new charge reads, “Salisu Maikasuwa and Benedict Efeturi, on or about the 9th day of June 2015 at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, agreed to do an illegal act, to wit to make the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 (as amended), without the authority of the 7th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which act was committed by yourselves and that you thereby committed the offence of criminal conspiracy.”