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| The red chamber |
Peoples Democratic Party members of the Nigerian Senate have began to
put measures in place that will see the party produce the next Senate
President if the present SP, Bukola Saraki is removed as a result of his
trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
According to Punch Newspapers, the All Progressives Congress senators
are however, set to forestall such a take-over of the upper chamber of
the National Assembly. The PDP members are said to have met for several hours on Monday night to make further decisions on the issue.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger
Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, said: “Should the incumbent,
Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, be forced to vacate the office, we have
perfected necessary arrangements to take over the upper chamber.”
He further stated that the PDP was ready to mirror the system
obtainable in the USA, where the Democrats are in charge of the
executive and Republicans hold sway in the parliament.“Well, I wish the APC the best of luck if they are on a wild goose
chase. But I want you to mark what I am saying. I was the first to
address the press in Port Harcourt and I told them that Saraki was going
to win the Senate Presidency and I gave them my reasons.”
“Then, nobody ever thought that Saraki was going to win. People were
saying that APC had decided. But it was clear to me that he was going to
win and I had to address the press. Eventually, we went there, he won.
If, but God forbids, because we don’t see it coming, by chance, Saraki
is removed, I can tell you that the PDP will produce the next Senate
President.”
“The calculation is very clear to me; the calculation is very clear
to the PDP. When I told them that Saraki was going to win, I did a lot
of mathematical calculations based on the facts on the ground and it is
even clearer to me now that the PDP will win it.”
“If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP
candidate, he is telling you a lie. We have people and we know how to
get the people from the APC. We will win and that will be very
interesting. What is happening in America is going to happen in Nigeria.
America has a Republican Senate but the executive is led by Democrats.”
“In any case, my party, the PDP, we have resolved in our meeting to
support him (Saraki). So, there is no basis for him to resign.”
Meanwhile, the APC senators, during a meeting held last week at the
house of a former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aliyu Wammako, in
Abuja, resolved not to allow the PDP take over the red chamber.
Senator Kabir Marafa, spokesperson of Unity Forum – a group of
senators that have consistently opposed Saraki’s candidacy – had stated
that: “We sat for four days last week, brainstormed, agreed and at the
end of the day, we came out with a three-point agenda. We felt if they
are agreed upon, the APC caucus in the National Assembly can become
one.”
“Number one issue is the illegality of our committees. We said we
must constitute the committees in tune with the Standing Orders of the
Senate. Number two is that the APC members, especially the Unity Forum
elements, who are marginalised in the formation of the committees,
should be accommodated.”
“Number three is the issue of leadership and how it affects our
party. President Muhammadu Buhari talked about party supremacy and how
we must obey. These are the three issues that were deliberated upon.”
“Number one item in the list was agreed upon. We agreed that we will
amend the rules to accommodate all committees of the Senate. Number two
on the agenda was also agreed upon; that is the issue of committees,
with a view to giving our party members what they deserve.” “We have a government in place and we are senators elected with that
government. We are under the same canopy. We have a moral duty to
support our government, President and our party.”
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