08-15-2018, 10:32 AM
Saraki, Ekweremadu’s Impeachment Plot : Oshiomhole Dangles Automatic Ticket Before APC Lawmakers
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday again renewed the avowed determination of the party to enforce leadership change in the Senate, insisting that the minority cannot be allowed to superintend over the majority in the upper legislative chamber.
To this end, the APC leader said the party will reward its loyal and experienced members in both chambers of the National Assembly with automatic ticket contrary to earlier position canvassed by the APC.
Oshiomhole re-echoed the threat on Tuesday when he addressed a tripartite meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), the Senate and House of Representatives blocs of the party in Abuja where he again asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to toe the part of honour and resign.
He urged the APC caucus to consider the serious issues before the Senate before it was hurriedly adjourned by the presiding officers, namely the N242 billion budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the external borrowing plan for the funding of capital project.
“The issue of obtaining foreign loans without which the government cannot perform, the virement requested by the president. You must act to actualise these so that the government would not shut down as expected by Saraki. These issues require your serious attention so that government gets the required assistance to provide the dividends of democracy to Nigerians”, he urged.
He said that contrary to misinformation peddled by Saraki, the opposition and sympathisers of the Senate President, the APC has all it takes to impeach the Senate leaders in accordance with law and democratic tenets.
Earlier, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said it is discussing with some PDP senators who are sympathetic to the good work done by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to ensure it realises its planned impeachment of the Senate principal officers.
According to him, the APC with 56 out of 109 senators, retains its majority in the upper legislative chamber, pointing out that last week’s alleged plot to impeach the Senate President was aimed at blackmailing the APC from exercising its democratic right as the majority party in the Senate.
“If the purpose of these reports and falsehood is to blackmail the APC leadership and its senators they will definitely fail.
“In all these, one thing is clear, the Senate President, no matter how he is doing it; manipulating stories and dishing out falsehood, cannot change the real narrative. It is an accepted democratic norm that the minority will have their say and the majority their way. If they have 49 senators and the APC 56 they should tell us anywhere in the world where the minority will produce the leaders of the Senate.
It is the wish of APC senators that we cannot be subjected to minority rule in the Nigerian Senate.
“Whether Saraki likes or not, he can only take the part of honour by allowing the APC to take its rightful lead of the Senate. If not he will be impeached lawfully and democratically”.
Oshiomhole, who scorned at those who have gone to court to stop Saraki’s impeachment, said the move was an exercise in futility, as no court would bar the Senate from exercising its lawful constitutional mandate.
He maintained that the party is determined to lead by example and would not undertake action that is contrary to the constitution.
Oshiomhole, who reassured the senators of the party’s support, said the APC will ensure that its loyal and experienced members are returned during the forthcoming primaries.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, expressed unhappiness over the failure of the House to reconvene, and hailed the decision of the party not to abandon members of the parliament.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the House Leader, also spoke in the same vein, saying that the reconvening of the National Assembly is a task that must be done.
“We delayed the last flight to hajj to Thursday to allow members deliberate issues at NASS. Today was the last day but we risked it to show our loyalty and commitment to the party. So we appreciate your assurance of rewarding us for our dedication. We are overwhelming majority at the House, we can carry out any agenda the party tasks us to undertake. We can also reach out to our members in the PDP to ensure we succeed”,
In his submission, Senate Leader, Lawan urged the national chairman to engage the APC governors towards resolving all outstanding issues with some of the legislators in the interest of the party.
Meanwhile, the APC has claimed that the continued refusal of Senate President Saraki to reconvene the Senate borders on treason, insisting that the National Assembly must resume to address burning national issues.
The party claimed that the non-reconvening of the National Assembly was done in active connivance with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and alleged that Saraki is ever ready to pursue his selfish interests over national interest.
“This is another brazen display of his penchant for abuse of power and sabotage of government, however, the cost and implication”, the party alleged.
This is contained in a statement by the party signed by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena.
The party while insisting that it will commit taxpayers’ money towards the impeachment of Saraki, maintained, however, that he will be eased out if he fails to resign.
APC also alleged plan by the opposition PDP to assault some APC senators as part desperate action to ensure that Saraki clings to the Senate leadership.
Consequently, the party called on security operatives to protect its senators from the attack allegedly hatched in the house of one of the PDP senators loyal to Saraki.
According to the statement, 15 pro-Saraki senators, including the Senate President, were in attendance when the plan was hatched.
“Our attention has been drawn to sinister plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to attack some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators as part of the PDP’s desperate bid to ensure that Dr. Bukola Saraki clings to the position of Senate President.
“By this statement, we call on security agents to protect APC senators. If any senator is harmed, the PDP and Saraki should be held directly responsible. We call on security agencies to also closely monitor the activities of some PDP leaders including Saraki because the plan to attack APC senators is real and imminent.
“We were informed that the plot was hatched in the private residence of a PDP leader in Maitama-Abuja on Sunday night. The meeting was attended by 15 pro-Saraki senators including the Senate President himself.
“We learnt that the PDP expressed worry over the APC’s Senate majority and considered several options to stop the APC from taking over the Senate leadership among which is attacking some APC senators to ensure their inability to attend legislative sittings.
“The PDP has recruited thugs for this purpose, we have now learnt.“During Sunday’s meeting, the PDP senators planned several types of attack, one of which is to lure some of them (APC senators) out at night in the guise of inviting senators to a political settlement meeting and thereafter instigate a violent confrontation during the meeting and unleash standby PDP thugs on APC senators, our source privy to the meeting informed us.
“This revelation has not come to us as a surprise because the Senate President through proxies has made several failed attempts to buy over APC senators with N100 million each.
“As a party, we don’t believe in inducing lawmakers to achieve our legitimate goal of removing Saraki as Senate President. We will get the support of some PDP senators to get the required 2/3 vote and impeach Saraki. We are already talking to some of PDP senators who believe and support the direction of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to achieve our legitimate goal.”
https://independent.ng/saraki-ekweremadu...akers/amp/
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday again renewed the avowed determination of the party to enforce leadership change in the Senate, insisting that the minority cannot be allowed to superintend over the majority in the upper legislative chamber.
To this end, the APC leader said the party will reward its loyal and experienced members in both chambers of the National Assembly with automatic ticket contrary to earlier position canvassed by the APC.
Oshiomhole re-echoed the threat on Tuesday when he addressed a tripartite meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), the Senate and House of Representatives blocs of the party in Abuja where he again asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to toe the part of honour and resign.
He urged the APC caucus to consider the serious issues before the Senate before it was hurriedly adjourned by the presiding officers, namely the N242 billion budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the external borrowing plan for the funding of capital project.
“The issue of obtaining foreign loans without which the government cannot perform, the virement requested by the president. You must act to actualise these so that the government would not shut down as expected by Saraki. These issues require your serious attention so that government gets the required assistance to provide the dividends of democracy to Nigerians”, he urged.
He said that contrary to misinformation peddled by Saraki, the opposition and sympathisers of the Senate President, the APC has all it takes to impeach the Senate leaders in accordance with law and democratic tenets.
Earlier, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said it is discussing with some PDP senators who are sympathetic to the good work done by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to ensure it realises its planned impeachment of the Senate principal officers.
According to him, the APC with 56 out of 109 senators, retains its majority in the upper legislative chamber, pointing out that last week’s alleged plot to impeach the Senate President was aimed at blackmailing the APC from exercising its democratic right as the majority party in the Senate.
“If the purpose of these reports and falsehood is to blackmail the APC leadership and its senators they will definitely fail.
“In all these, one thing is clear, the Senate President, no matter how he is doing it; manipulating stories and dishing out falsehood, cannot change the real narrative. It is an accepted democratic norm that the minority will have their say and the majority their way. If they have 49 senators and the APC 56 they should tell us anywhere in the world where the minority will produce the leaders of the Senate.
It is the wish of APC senators that we cannot be subjected to minority rule in the Nigerian Senate.
“Whether Saraki likes or not, he can only take the part of honour by allowing the APC to take its rightful lead of the Senate. If not he will be impeached lawfully and democratically”.
Oshiomhole, who scorned at those who have gone to court to stop Saraki’s impeachment, said the move was an exercise in futility, as no court would bar the Senate from exercising its lawful constitutional mandate.
He maintained that the party is determined to lead by example and would not undertake action that is contrary to the constitution.
Oshiomhole, who reassured the senators of the party’s support, said the APC will ensure that its loyal and experienced members are returned during the forthcoming primaries.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, expressed unhappiness over the failure of the House to reconvene, and hailed the decision of the party not to abandon members of the parliament.
Femi Gbajabiamila, the House Leader, also spoke in the same vein, saying that the reconvening of the National Assembly is a task that must be done.
“We delayed the last flight to hajj to Thursday to allow members deliberate issues at NASS. Today was the last day but we risked it to show our loyalty and commitment to the party. So we appreciate your assurance of rewarding us for our dedication. We are overwhelming majority at the House, we can carry out any agenda the party tasks us to undertake. We can also reach out to our members in the PDP to ensure we succeed”,
In his submission, Senate Leader, Lawan urged the national chairman to engage the APC governors towards resolving all outstanding issues with some of the legislators in the interest of the party.
Meanwhile, the APC has claimed that the continued refusal of Senate President Saraki to reconvene the Senate borders on treason, insisting that the National Assembly must resume to address burning national issues.
The party claimed that the non-reconvening of the National Assembly was done in active connivance with the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and alleged that Saraki is ever ready to pursue his selfish interests over national interest.
“This is another brazen display of his penchant for abuse of power and sabotage of government, however, the cost and implication”, the party alleged.
This is contained in a statement by the party signed by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena.
The party while insisting that it will commit taxpayers’ money towards the impeachment of Saraki, maintained, however, that he will be eased out if he fails to resign.
APC also alleged plan by the opposition PDP to assault some APC senators as part desperate action to ensure that Saraki clings to the Senate leadership.
Consequently, the party called on security operatives to protect its senators from the attack allegedly hatched in the house of one of the PDP senators loyal to Saraki.
According to the statement, 15 pro-Saraki senators, including the Senate President, were in attendance when the plan was hatched.
“Our attention has been drawn to sinister plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to attack some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators as part of the PDP’s desperate bid to ensure that Dr. Bukola Saraki clings to the position of Senate President.
“By this statement, we call on security agents to protect APC senators. If any senator is harmed, the PDP and Saraki should be held directly responsible. We call on security agencies to also closely monitor the activities of some PDP leaders including Saraki because the plan to attack APC senators is real and imminent.
“We were informed that the plot was hatched in the private residence of a PDP leader in Maitama-Abuja on Sunday night. The meeting was attended by 15 pro-Saraki senators including the Senate President himself.
“We learnt that the PDP expressed worry over the APC’s Senate majority and considered several options to stop the APC from taking over the Senate leadership among which is attacking some APC senators to ensure their inability to attend legislative sittings.
“The PDP has recruited thugs for this purpose, we have now learnt.“During Sunday’s meeting, the PDP senators planned several types of attack, one of which is to lure some of them (APC senators) out at night in the guise of inviting senators to a political settlement meeting and thereafter instigate a violent confrontation during the meeting and unleash standby PDP thugs on APC senators, our source privy to the meeting informed us.
“This revelation has not come to us as a surprise because the Senate President through proxies has made several failed attempts to buy over APC senators with N100 million each.
“As a party, we don’t believe in inducing lawmakers to achieve our legitimate goal of removing Saraki as Senate President. We will get the support of some PDP senators to get the required 2/3 vote and impeach Saraki. We are already talking to some of PDP senators who believe and support the direction of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to achieve our legitimate goal.”
https://independent.ng/saraki-ekweremadu...akers/amp/