Legislators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have laughed off the call for the immediate resignation of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by some angry Senators of the All Progressives Congress.
DAILY POST reports that the Pro-Ahmad Lawan senators under the umbrella of the Senate Unity Forum had on Saturday called for the immediate resignation of Ekweremadu.
The group said that was part of the conditions that would make them recognise Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate.
The spokesperson for the group, Senator Kabir Marafa, had insisted that, though his colleagues had nothing personal against the deputy senate president, but that he was not properly elected since he got 54 votes against 55, being the simple majority.
Reacting to the development, some members of the PDP senators, who nominated and voted for Ekweremadu on June 9, maintained that they would not bow to the call by the APC senators.
In her reaction, the PDP member representing Ekiti-South Senatorial District, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, said since the senators in attendance on the day of inauguration had overwhelmingly voted for Ekweremadu, “no back-door arrangement could remove him.”
Olujimi said, “The APC senators should stop making such demands, because it is an effort in futility. How do they think that they could ask someone who won an election overwhelmingly among his colleagues to resign in order to satisfy some interests within their party?
“They should not say that at all. The Nigerian senators have chosen their leaders. If they have any issue within their party, they should go and sort themselves out or go to court. Better still, they can start impeachment process, if they think they have the figure.
“Nobody will resign, Senator Ekweremadu was duly elected and he won’t resign. He cannot resign”.
Also, another PDP member representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Senator Ighoyota Amori, said those calling for Ekweremadu’s resignation were allegedly ignorant of the Senate Rules.
He said they could only remove the deputy senate president with a two-third majority vote during an impeachment process.
He said, “The election of Senator Ekweremadu followed all constitutional provisions and procedures. He is duly elected and there is no issue of illegitimacy at all. They should go and read their rules very well”.
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