The ruling party kept mum about the senate president’s insistence that they lack the required number to impeach him
• Ruling party keeps mum
Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and John Adams, Minna
Senate President and presidential aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said the the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) does not have the required number to impeach him.
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The senate president said this in Minna, capital of Niger State, when he met with the state’s PDP members, to solicit for their support for his presidential ambition.
“They know that we are in the majority and whatever they want to do they know they don’t have the number,” he reiterated.
Saraki, however, ruled out the possibility of him stepping down when the senate reconvenes; as being demanded by the ruling party following his defection to the PDP.
“One thing is clear, I will not sacrifice the interest of the country for my personal interest, and, in the last three years, as senate president, I have demonstrated that my interest is second to that of national interest”.
He described as unnecessary, calls for the senate to reconvene from its annual recess.
“We did not adjourn the senate in the dark; there was a procedure where, at the end of the session, there was a vote and it was seconded that we should go on annual recess.
“So, it wasn’t anything done in the secret; everybody was there. It is not that some few people met somewhere and took the decision. “Everybody participated and everybody took the decision that we should adjourn for a normal, annual recess.
“The date that we agreed to resume was the same date we resumed last year and the year before, so, there is nothing abnormal about the senate adjournment.”
Saraki also pointed out that all he wants for the country is a country rooted in the rule of law and a democratic process.
“I am happy that even they that started making the noise have now agreed that they will follow the rule of law and due process.
“What is important to me is to ensure the independence of the three arms of the government, to allow rule of law, to ensure that we respect the democratic process”.
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Although the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, had earlier declared that the party will deploy every legal means to impeach Saraki, the ruling party kept mum about the senate president’s insistence that they lack the required number to impeach him.
In earlier comments, Oshiomhole had insisted that Saraki would be impeached.
“He (Saraki) failed to understand that the Nigeria, national project is more complicated and is not that easy.
“He will not only be impeached, we will work hard to have him defeated as a senator in his own senatorial zone come 2019.
“Saraki will not be the first to be impeached and I doubt if he is going to be the last but, definitely, he will be impeached according to law and according to the democratic norms.
“The only way senator Saraki can avoid impeachment is for him to do what is honourable, which again leads to the issue of character,” Oshiomhole said then.
Yesterday,, efforts to get Oshiomhole’s reaction to Saraki’s insistence that he cannot be impeached, or the reaction of the acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, were unsuccessful.
None agreed to speak on the issue.
While the spokesperson kept promising to react to Saraki’s claims, after several calls and text messages to him, Nabena refused to pick the several calls. He didn’t reply the text messages either.