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Saraki faces fresh impeachment threat over 9th Senate leadership
Bukola Saraki
Few days to the March 12 resumption date by members of the National Assembly, there is fresh plan by the All Progressives Congress, APC senators with the alleged support of the ruling party to impeach the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Our correspondent gathered on Wednesday in Abuja that the new move by majority of the APC senators followed the alleged plan by Saraki to influence the emergence of leadership of the 9th Senate, especially his successor and the deputy.
Indication that Saraki may not find it easy on resumption by the lawmakers from their ongoing recess, emerged when he lost his election to represent Kwara Central Senatorial District in the Senate for the third term on February 23.
ROYAL NEWS reports that a total of 68,994 votes polled by Saraki who contested on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, was no match for the 123,808 votes of APC candidate, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, and thus end an era of his (the former) political dominance in Kwara State.
A member of the APC Senate caucus who pleaded anonymity confided in our correspondent that they have been mobilised and directed by their leaders with the party’s support to ensure that they participate in all plenaries of the first week of resumption to effect the impeachment of the senate president.
He said: “Yes, what you are hearing is true. There is fresh plan to remove Dr. Saraki as the senate president once we resume because we, I mean members of our (APC Senate) caucus reliably gathered that he want to influence who becomes the next senate president among our leading contenders.
“We have tolerated him enough. One, he was an enemy within as a member of APC. Secondly, he left our party and still trying to pull it down even as the senate president from opposition over the majority senators from the ruling party.
“Apart from the leadership of our party, we as APC senate caucus will not allow him dictate to us on who becomes the next senate president because, he, as an APC member in 2015 went against the decision of the party and connived with the opposition to become senate president.
“So, he can’t have his way this time around. Though he’s not going to be member of the 9th Senate having lost his election in Kwara, he still wants to impose one of his loyalists in APC on us and we are saying it’s not going to be possible.
“First, a vote of no confidence will be passed on him and thereafter remove him as the senate president once we resume after election. He (Saraki) cannot continue to be allowed to take the party that gave him the opportunity to be number three citizen for a ride any longer. The people of his constituency in Kwara have sacked him during the last National Assembly election; we in the Senate too are going to sack him. Enough is enough”.
It was also leant that Ekweremadu might not finish his tenure as the deputy senate president as he’s part of target for the impeachment plan having been elected from the opposition PDP since 2015 with the support of Saraki.
Members of the Buhari Parliamentary Support Group in the Senate were said to be mostly irked by Saraki’s alleged move to install his loyalist from APC as the next senate president in particular and some other principal officers like the deputy senate president, the Leader, Chief Whip, Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively.
Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the senate president, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu to comment on the allegation proved abortive as he refused to answer or return calls put to him, but the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sani Onogu dismissed it.
“My brother, he who is down fears no fall. They are planning that (Saraki’s impeachment) simply because he lost his election last time. Why are they still on his neck after all, he’s not going to be part of the 9th Senate”, Onogu said.
Contact: info@royalnews.com.ng