No Plans To Impeach Ekweremadu—APC Lawmaker

The emergence of Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Deputy Senate President in an All Progressives Congress, APC, dominated Senate was not what most political observers in Nigeria were expecting.

In fact, pundits had thought Ali Ndume of the APC would emerge the second in command to Bukola Saraki in the red chamber. But due to the support the PDP senators gave Saraki in his emergence against his party’s wish, Ekweremadu was just like a compensation to the PDP.

And since then, the APC, not happy with the key position the PDP got in the Senate, has been doing everything possible to get Ekweremadu out.

But going by what a Senator of the APC said recently in an interview, the Deputy Senate slot may not elude the PDP.

Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna central senatorial district at the National Assembly, has disclosed that there are no plans to impeach Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.

The lawmaker, also the president of the Civil Rights Congress, said, “On impeachment of the deputy Senate president, there is nothing like that on the table. The collective resolve is to accept the situation and see how we can operate effectively.

“What we want to avoid is unnecessary over-heating of the senate. That will be distractive to the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

He explained that, “For now, reconciliation process is on-going between the Unity Camp and the Like Minds towards seeing how the camp of Senator Lawal can be accommodated within the new arrangement.

“But the first step is accepting the fact that we got ourselves in a corner and how we live in that corner is what is of interest to all.”

“So, the party has no intention of impeaching any senator of the PDP, holding any principal position. It is now how we can live with the situation in which we have found ourselves.

“There is always a first time in everything. We have never had this kind of situation but it is going to be a test of our wisdom and leadership and a test of our political skill in terms of being able to wriggle out of the turbulent situation we have found ourselves,” he submitted.

He pointed out that, “The PDP had the power on the floor to pick the position of the deputy senate president because of the division within the APC. However, there was also an intervention by Saraki himself to ensure that we did not lose everything.”

Sani admitted that, “We are pained by the situation because our people voted for change and they wanted an APC leadership but there was a problem of lack of reconciliation within the APC, which opened a crack, for the PDP to take an advantage of the situation.

“But I tell you, if Saraki is absent and Ekweremadu is there, the APC still has the majority in the Senate and in every vote it is the majority that counts. Even if Ekweremadu takes over in acting capacity, he will not be able to tell us to do what we do not want to do as a party.”