Senate Leadership Crisis: I Won’t Decamp to APC, Says Ekweremadu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, January 18th, 2017

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has declared that he would not defect from his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as being pressurised by APC senators and rumoured in political circles.

Senators Kabiru Marafa (APC Zamfara Central) and Abdullahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa West) had at the Senate plenary session last week Wednesday, openly called on Ekweremadu who presided over the session to join the ruling party as a way of totally ending the leadership crisis in the 8^th Senate.

Marafa and Adamu’s call for Ekweremadu’s defection to APC came 24 hours after the sudden removal of Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) as Senate Majority Leader.

But Ekweremadu in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Political Matters, Hon Okey Ozoani yesterday described reports on the rumour as “a fantasy of those peddling it”.

He assured the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, faithful and Nigerians that he is going nowhere as according to him, what is important now as a political player is to join hands with others in government to address problems at hand in the general interest of Nigerians and not jumping from one political ship to the other.

The statement reads in part: “Senator Ekweremadu is not contemplating leaving PDP. He is more concerned about fixing the country’s biting economic and security conditions and other challenges than saving his job as the Deputy President of the Senate.

“It is his view that Nigeria has to first exist for us to have political parties to belong to or political offices to occupy. Studies have shown a direct relationship between economic conditions and survival of democracy.

“The primary responsibility our Constitution places on our government is to cater to the wellbeing of the citizens as well as security of their lives and property. When such are threatened, everyone should necessarily get serious and preoccupied with contributing his or her quota to salvaging the country.

“Besides, he is most grateful to his colleagues for the confidence they continue to repose in him and the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki. He is grateful for the solidarity that the Senators have continued to accord them.

“By strength alone shall no man prevail, therefore, let us get down on our knees and continue to present the government and the country before God”.