Punch
Suspended Nigerian-born Minister of Justice and Solicitor-General of the Government of Alberta, Canada, Kelechi Madu, has explained that he didn’t phone Edmonton Police Chief, Dale McFee, to seek the cancellation of a fine imposed on him for a traffic violation.
Madu, in a string of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday, said he contacted the police chief only to share his experience.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, on Tuesday, said it was important for Madu to step aside pending the outcome of an independent investigation into a March 10, 2021 incident.
Madu, who assumed the role in August 2020 and is reportedly the first Black person to serve as a minister of justice in Canada, got fined for using his phone while driving in March 2021.
He was accused of calling the province’s police chief after being slammed a $300 fine he received for violating one of Canada’s traffic and safety regulations.
“I conveyed to him my profound disappointment in his decision to contact the Edmonton Police Chief after receiving a ticket for a traffic violation,” Kenney had stated, adding that Minister Sonya Savage would act as Minister of Justice and Solicitor General during Madu’s leave of absence.
But in his defence, Madu explained that he was pulled over by an officer of the Edmonton Police Service on the said date while he was driving to a media function.
