SARAKI BLOCKS EKWEREMADU'S REMOVAL

Attempt by Senators elected on the platform of
the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC , to
begin the process of nullification of the election
of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of Peoples
Democratic Party , PDP , was swiftly nipped in
the bud during Senate Plenary of Wednesday
by Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Senator Kabiru Marafa , one of the leading
supporters of Lawan had raised a point of
order where he observed that the election of
Ekweremadu was in breach of the Senate
standing rules during the Wednesday plenary .
The Senator noted that Senate rules, as
passed in 2011 indicated that an election into
any of the presiding offices in the red chamber
shall be by division whereby Senators
supporting one cndidate will be on one side ,
while those supporting another candidate will
be on the other side , and not by secret ballot
when two contestants are vying for any of the
positions.

Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President
Contrary to this provision , the Senator said the
election that brought Ekweremadu into office
was done through secret ballot .
The Senator therefore asked Saraki to explain
when the rules were amended . But the Senate
President swiftly ruled him out of order, citing
the Senate rules that if a matter on presiding
officer ’ s election has been decided , there can
be no further inquiry into it.
Ekweremadu, though elected on the platform
minority PDP had taken advantage of the
absence of members of majority APC to
emerge the Deputy Senate President when the
8th National Assembly was inaugurated on 9
June.
Ekweremadu defeated Senator Ali Ndume of
APC to emerge the Deputy Senate President.
Most APC Senators were at the International
Conference Centre to attend a meeting with
President Muhammadu Buhari when they heard
that the election of the principal officers of the
Senate had taken place .
It was believed that the Senate President had
ceded the position of the Deputy Senate
President to get the support of the PDP
members of the Senate when his party refused
to support his bid to lead the upper chamber .
The APC had preferred Senators Ahmed Lawan
and George Akume for the position of the
Senate President and Deputy Senate President
respectively.
John Oyegun , the National Chairman of APC
had said over the weekend that the resignation
of Ekweremadu will help the party tackle the
crisis it has fallen into as a result of the
disobedience of Saraki.
Crisis has been simmering within the ruling
APC and in the National Assembly since 9 June
after the controversial National Assembly
elections . Attempts to resolve the crisis have
so far not yielded any positive result .
Meanwhile , Senator Abu Ibrahim ( APC -Katsina
South) , wants the All Progressives Congress ,
APC , to punish anybody who decides to go
against the directives of the party on the
appointment of principal officers .
Ibrahim was reacting to a zoning formula
drafted by senators who belong to the ‘ Like
Minds’ , a group that ’ s loyal to Senate
President, Bukola Saraki.
The group came up with a zoning formula that
gave the position of Majority Leader to the
North -East ; Deputy Majority Leader to North -
West and the Chief Whip to South- West but
senators who belong to the “Unity Forum ”,
loyal to Senator Ahmad Lawan ( APC - Yobe
North ) , insisted that all vacant positions be
filled by the national leadership of the party .
Ibrahim maintained that the senators had no
power to zone the leadership positions to any
region . He pointed out that the procedure for
allocating the offices had been the exclusive
right of the ruling party , adding that , it should
be maintained .
“As far as I am concerned, this was never done,
I was a principal officer in the last senate , the
party gave our names and that ’ s how I
became a principal officer , ” he said .
He, therefore , called on the APC to “wield its
big stick ” if anybody decided to go against the
directives of the party this time around.
Similarly , northern House of Representatives
members have reportedly backtracked on their
decision to support some members approved
by their party.
The National Chairman of the APC , Chief John
Odigie -Oyegun wrote Saraki and Speaker of the
House of Reps , indicating approved principal
officers.
“Please find below for your necessary action
names of principal officers approved by the
party, after extensive consultations for the 8th
Senate as follows : Senator Ahmed Lawan
( Majority Leader)– North - East ; Prof . Sola
Adeyeye ( Chief Whip )– South- West ; Sen.
George Akume ( Deputy Majority Leader ) —
North -Central; and Sen . Abu Ibrahim ( Deputy
Chief Whip ) —North - West , ” the letter to Saraki
from Oyegun read .
To Dogara he wrote : “Please find below for
your necessary action names of principal
officers approved by the party after extensive
consultations for the eighth House of
Representatives as follows : Hon . Femi
Gbajabiamila ( House Leader ) South - West ; Hon .
Alhassan Ado Doguwa ( Deputy House Leader ) —
North -West ; Hon . M. T . Monguno( Chief Whip)
—North -East ; and Hon . Pally Iriase ( Deputy
Chief Whip ) —South - South. This comes with
the assurances of my highest regards. ”