Members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Senate on Sunday described as unnecessary, the call for the immediate resignation of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by some aggrieved All Progressives Congress’ senators.
The Pro-Ahmad Lawan senators under the aegis of the Senate Unity Forum had on Saturday demanded the immediate resignation of Ekweremadu, as part of conditions that would make them recognise Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate.
The spokesperson for the group, Senator Kabir Marafa, told The PUNCH in a telephone interview that his colleagues had nothing personal against the deputy senate president but that he was not properly elected since he got 54 votes against 55, being the simple majority.
But some members of the PDP senators, who nominated and voted for Ekweremadu on June 9, have vowed to resist any unconstitutional or illegal means by the APC senators to remove their member as a principal officer.
In her reaction, the PDP member representing Ekiti-South Senatorial District, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, said since the senators in attendance on the day of inauguration had overwhelmingly voted for Ekweremadu, “no back-door arrangement could remove him.”
She challenged the aggrieved APC senators to either go to court or initiate an impeachment moves if they wanted to sack the deputy senate president.
Olujimi said, “The APC senators should stop making such demands, because it is an effort in futility. How do they think that they could ask someone who won an election overwhelmingly among his colleagues to resign in order to satisfy some interests within their party?
“They should not say that at all. The Nigerian senators have chosen their leaders. If they have any issue within their party, they should go and sort themselves out or go to court. Better still, they can start impeachment process, if they think they have the figure.
“Nobody will resign, Senator Ekweremadu was duly elected and he won’t resign. He cannot resign”
Also, another PDP member representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Senator Ighoyota Amori, told our correspondent on Sunday that those calling for Ekweremadu’s resignation were allegedly ignorant of the Senate Rules.
He said they could only remove the deputy senate president with a two-third majority vote during an impeachment process.
Amori argued that the Clerk of the National Assembly and his team who conducted the election would have postponed it if they were not satisfied and convinced that the members’ attendance met constitutional provisions for the poll.
He also advised the APC senators to seek legal redress if they were sure that Ekweremadu was not legitimately elected.
He said, “The election of Senator Ekweremadu followed all constitutional provisions and procedures. He is duly elected and there is no issue of illegitimacy at all. They should go and read their rules very well.” Punch
