Tag: Ekweremadu

All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye reflects on the National Assembly crisis and suggests the way forward. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN met him in Lagos.

What is the way out of the log-jam in the National Assembly?

I think the way out is to recognise that there are some powerful elements who do not want the programme of change designed by the APC to succeed. So, we should look at the bigger picture and the tremendous goodwill the APC and government are enjoying nationally and internationally not to allow the temptations fanned by the opponents of progress and change to lure us into a crisis that may shift our attention from our laudable goal.

As a person, I have always stood for disciplined behaviour and I believe that party directives should be followed, unless there is a justifiable and exceptional reason to do otherwise. In the circumstances in which we are, it may be wiser to apply the Latin phrase ‘festina lente’ (make haste slowly), so that opponents may not ridicule our inability to handle our brilliant success. For any strong hammer, or firm insistence on our right may be counter-productive in the long run.

In the circumstance, it may be advisable to close our eyes to certain aspects of indiscretion or disobedience so that our line of progress may not be obstructed nor our focus shifted by irritating distraction. This is a personal opinion, subject to the majority view of the party.

What should be done?

The sum total of all I have said is that we should work out a formula that will not lead to any extreme either way. Suppose for example, the party leaders and elders decide to caution the Senate President, but allow him to retain his position while we insist on all true lovers of progress for Nigeria to persuade the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to voluntarily resign his position while retaining his seat as an ordinary member of the Senate? His former boss Senator David Mark, has shown some leadership in this direction by not angling for any position.

Talking from experience, you don’t have to hold any principal office in the Senate to make an impact and significant contribution to nation building. For, come to think of it, it is the APC that majority of Nigerians voted for three months ago. Neither the APC nor the PDP asked the electorate for a national government or a coalition government. How then do we justify the absurdity of sharing the two topmost positions in the Senate between the two parties? It is uncalled for. It is unjustifiable. It is unacceptable. For the 16 years the PDP was in power, they never allowed power-sharing with the opposition.

As for the other four leadership positions, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the wish of the party should be respected and should prevail.

Mr. President has already inherited tremendous amount of problems from the immediate past government that he needs the cooperation of all concerned to enable him to carry out the reforms he has set out to effect. The minimum any patriotic citizen can do is to ensure that there is no distraction from his determined march toward building a better Nigeria.

 What do you think is the cause of all these distractions?

We cannot rule out human frailties, ambition and petty jealousies.

Is it true that the crises are targeted against certain national leaders of APC?

 I have heard that before and it does not surprise me. My appeal to those who are criticised for whatever reasons, despite their apparent contributions to the success we all share, is that they should take solace in the lessons of history. For example, after Sir Leonard Spencer Winston Churchill performed so brilliantly in contributing majorly to the victory of the Allied forces during the Second World War, he was defeated at the very first election after the war. The Labour Party of Britain won with the slogan “Churchill of war is no Churchill of Peace”! That the Labour Party was the only outfit that could provide employments for the hundreds of thousands of discharged soldiers. So, Mr. Clement Attlee won. But, the Labour Party didn’t perform and Churchill bounced back at the next election in 1951.

A similar thing happened to another great man, “the man who was France” (L’Estat se moir II) – Gen. Charles de Gaulle, who was the symbol of French resistance and honour against the onslaught of Nazi Germany. He too was defeated more than once in elections after the 2second World War. He then voluntarily retired into his country home – (the village of two Churches), saying defiantly “France will send for me when she needs me”.

When the American Time Magazine, some 12yrs later asked him whether he was still expecting France to send for him; he expressed doubt as he was already approaching 70. But, he insisted that it was France that would send for him, if she needed him.

Surprisingly, through the Algerian uprising headed by Jaques Sustaile, France sent for De Gaulle only five months after the Time Magazine interview. The Treaty of Rome of 1970 and moves for formation of the European Union (EU) are some of the achievements of the great leader.

So, some of these Nigerian leaders you referred to are 15 – 20 years younger than I in age. They still have ample opportunities to be appreciated and eulogised. For now, let sleeping dogs lie and let’s work to effect the change which the country and the whole world are eagerly expecting us to achieve.

What is the way out?

I think the leadership of our party, including the Board of Trustees which is yet to meet, should meet separately or collectively and agree on the speedy resolution of the problems so that it will not become a festering wound or a clog in the wheel of progress.

 What is your opinion on the perceived slowness of the Buhari’s administration?

Is it slowness or thoroughness? I think it is thoroughness. If you think otherwise then, remember the popular saying that “slow and steady wins the race”. It may be part of the PDP propaganda. That party is anxious to come back to power to start its boasted 60 years uninterrupted rule, which God will forbid.

Let’s again look at a more recent historic event. When the military took over under the dynamic leadership of Gen. Murtala Muhammed in 1975, everyone was hailing the government for the speed of its reforms. But, events have shown that some of the actions taken at the time, especially the mass purge of top civil servants, left some adverse effects on the Nigerian economy. The public service was known for its efficiency, transparency and anonymity. After that event, as people seem to see the psychological effect where civil servants appeared to rhetorically raise the question, “when shall I prepare for my own home?” (Gen. 30:30). Some started to cut corners as insurance against possible recurrence of summary dismissal; hence, the extension of corrupt practices to that strategic section of the society.

No one should be too anxious to become a minister. The country should be patient, until things are properly sorted out. It will be in the interest of all of us. The constitution prescribes the number of ministers but it does not prescribe the specific time of commencement of their tenure, whether a day or a month after the inauguration of Mr. President.

Since Senator Ike Ekweremadu emerged the Deputy Senate President in an APC dominated Chamber, leadership of the ruling party has been kicking, describing the development as unacceptable. In this report, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on Ekweremadu’s chances of surviving the intrigues

There seems to be no end in sight yet for the crisis at the National Assembly. From all indications, the bad blood generated by the election of principal officers by the two chambers of the National Assembly might tarry a while longer. Sources within the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), says it is unlikely that the gladiators involved in the crisis will simply let the matter rest.

Investigations by The Nation revealed that while the aggrieved national lawmakers within the APC are willing to allow the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, enjoy his reign, as consented to by their party leadership, the same cannot be said of their disposition to the position of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President.

Ekweremadu, a member of the minority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was elected alongside Senator Saraki in the controversial election that is still being contested by a large majority of APC senators who were not present in the chamber when the election was held.

It was also gathered that the leadership of the APC may also insist on the removal of Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President as a condition for peace when the senate returns from its recess later this month. Given this scenario, many pundits are wondering if the days of the Enugu-born politician in his current position, are numbered.

“APC Senators and the leadership of their party would never allow Ekweremadu to keep such a sensitive position. There is no gainsaying that this would definitely tamper with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. More so, the rules of the house are very clear on who occupies such position.

I have no doubt in my mind that we are yet to hear the last about the NASS crisis because the ruling party will not rest until the anomaly is corrected. I see them coming out harder against Ekweremadu when the senate resumes. This should be understood for what it is; politics and the need for the ruling party to secure its administration against infiltration and interference from the opposition party.

Those reading other meaning to the push for Ekweremadu’s removal should get the facts straight. It is all part of multi party politics. It is part of the unending struggle for power in a democracy,” a national assembly source said.

The source also added that President Muhammadu Buhari is not happy with Ekweremadu as deputy president and has made this clear to the Senate President on several occasions. “All the efforts made by Saraki’s camp to sell the candidacy of Ekweremadu to the President have yielded no fruit, as Buhari allegedly refused to be taken in by their explanations.

Buhari reportedly made his feelings known at a meeting with a delegation of the Unity Forum at the Aso Rock Villa recently. The forum is the group of senators backing Dr. Ahmed Lawan, the APC anointed candidate for the Senate Presidency.

“The President gave us audience and admitted that the development in the Senate was a setback but he expressed confidence that APC will overcome it,” a source at the meeting said.

“He said there was no basis for the split among APC Senators which led to the concession of the office of Deputy President of the Senate to the PDP. He said PDP did not give the opposition such an opportunity in its 16 years in power.

“Buhari told Lawan and others not to take the law into their hands as the leaders of the party explore reconciliation options. He said peace and the survival of the nation’s democracy should be paramount more than any other thing.”

Asked to assess the President’s mood at the session, the source added: “He was not happy about the development in the Senate but he was hopeful that the situation is redeemable if some leaders can sacrifice their ambitions for the survival of APC and his administration.”

Aggrieved Senators, angry party

Signs that Ekweremadu may still lose his seat emerged when aggrieved APC senators, recently demanded for his immediate resignation. The senators, who are loyal to Senator Ahmad Lawan, the party’s candidate for the Senate presidency, insisted that Ekweremadu’s resignation was one of the conditions that would make the faction continue to recognise Senator Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate.

The aggrieved lawmakers, under the auspices of the Senate Unity Forum, however stated that they had nothing personal against Saraki and Ekweremadu.

However, the spokesperson of the SUF, Senator Kabir Marafa, said “We demand that Senator Ike Ekweremadu must resign his position because he needed at least 55 senators to emerge as Deputy Senate President. Ekweremadu is a lawyer and an experienced lawmaker. He knows he is not qualified to win the election with 54 votes.”

Marafa further said the pro-Saraki lawmakers should tell the party leadership why they rushed to the chamber on June 9 and hurriedly conducted the election, while the rest of the APC lawmakers were at the International Conference Centre, expecting the arrival of President Mohammadu Buhari.

“The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was not properly elected. He requires a simple majority vote of 55 to win the election but he got 54, so he did not win and we cannot recognise him. We refuse to. Our party has asked us not to talk to the press but we will not keep quiet internally,” he said.

Buhari and the pro-Lawan Senators are not alone in their insistence over Ekweremadu as the leadership of the All Progressives Congress during the week allegedly insisted on removal of the Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu, of the PDP.

The Nation learnt that at a recent stakeholders’ meeting, it became obvious that the ruling APC was still dissatisfied that Ekweremadu is still in office as the Deputy Senate President. “We will continue to reject Ekweremadu. There is no way we will allow a senator from a minority party to take over the duties statutorily assigned for the majority party,” our source said.

Speaking further on why the APC may insist on Ekweremadu’s exit, our source said, “If you don’t know, let me inform you that the Deputy Senate President is automatically the Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment. Do you still think it is wise to leave such a position in the hands of the opposition?

Crack within?

Pundits have also been talking about a recent statement by the Senate President on the continued stay in office by his deputy. According to reports, Saraki, while denying any deal between him and the PDP over Ekweremadu’s emergence, expressed sadness over the development.

“It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as Deputy Senate President. It is painful. It is painful for any APC member because we went through the struggle. That was not what we signed for.

“But it has happened; but it is unfortunate and it is not fair to put the blame on one side because it is a combination of errors and miscalculations that led us to have what we have.

“So, to suggest that it was out of a desperate act to emerge is what I reject completely and those who followed the events would know that I didn’t have that deal to emerge,” Saraki reportedly lamented.

The argument is that with Saraki not comfortable with his deputy, how longer will the PDP senator stave off the numerous calls for his removal from office?

“If it is true that Saraki had no hand in Ekweremadu’s emergence, then it may be difficult for the latter to keep his current position. And if you consider the claim that he got elected with 54 votes out of 109, then there may be a strong ground to agitate for his resignation,” Barrister Jide Awodun, an activist, said.

Also, former Governor of Kano State and Senator representing Kano Central, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said the position of Deputy Senate President, currently being held by Ekweremadu, did not belong to the PDP, and must be returned to APC, adding that for the 16 years that PDP ruled the country, at no time did the opposition get the benefit of having such a position.

But the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, contended that the APC should leave Ekweremadu alone. Na’Allah, while speaking with newsmen, warned that external influence from the APC would worsen the ongoing leadership tussle in the National Assembly rather than solve it.

He said: “I know that as loyal party members, we are not happy with the situation (regarding Ekweremadu’s position), but as matured people, we should be able to make good of what has happened and then move the country forward. Let me say that we do not have a crisis in the Senate.

What we have are disagreements between our colleague senators on how certain things should be done. So, it is going to be a very simple issue to settle provided the external influence ceases for the time being.”

However, a senator from Edo State, Clifford Ordia, said no amount of gang up by leaders of the APC would lead to the sack of Ekweremadu. Ordia, who spoke against the backdrop of continuing bickering by leaders of the ruling party over the emergence of Ekweremadu, said it is God’s wish that the PDP senator will be Deputy Senate President once again.

Reacting to statements by Kwakwanso, discrediting the election of the two senate leaders, the Edo lawmaker advised the APC to sheath their sword. He reminded political leaders in the country that the era of imposition was over and warned those rooting for Ekweremadu’s ouster to either accept his emergence or maintain their cool.

Ordia said PDP senators will not fold their hands and allow him (Ekweremadu) to be removed. “We will defend the mandate of Ekweremadu with every drop of energy we have,” Ordia said.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Ekweremadu, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, declined comments, when contacted on the phone yesterday to talk on his Principal’s chances of weathering the raging storm. Now, it is left to be seen if the Enugu-born politician can go all the way in this battle.