-Insists Saraki must resign for peace to reign
With the defection of Senate President Bukola Saraki from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, he must resign from office if peace is to reign in the Senate, Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC Katsina South), has threatened.
Senator Ibrahim, who issued the threat yesterday in a chat with journalists at the premises of the National Assembly in Abuja, also hinted that the body can resume ahead of the September 25 adjourned if 30 lawmakers agreed to that.
According to him, Saraki must relinquish the position because APC still controls the majority seats in the Senate with 53 senators to 49 of the PDP, while African Democratic Congress (ADC) has 3 and All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) 2, based on the existing 107 seats now.
He also hinted that the 53 APC senators may reconvene the Senate before the September 25th 2018 resumption date.
The lawmaker said, “well, I think it is commendable that he has left the party.
He has chosen the path of survival, because it is the issue of political survival not anything for Nigeria.
“But next is for him to resign as Senate President because by all conventions all over the world, the majority party produces the leadership; Senate President, the majority leader and others.
“If he doesn’t (resign), we will never have peace in that Senate because it is absolutely clear that APC has majority of 53 senators to produce the leadership.
“I hear the PDP claiming majority, but it is crystal clear that APC has majority.
We will have more members.
We will have elections.
We will have the two members.
We also have some alliance with APGA.
It is clear that APC has majority.
“APC with majority should produce the leadership in the Senate, 49 cannot produce the leadership , the reason why Saraki should go the whole hog and resign as Senate President.” On the allegation that some senators attempted to break into the Senate chamber on Wednesday to reconvene plenary he said; “how do you break into the chamber? If we like we can reconvene legally because it is legal for us to reconvene.
We don’t need to break into the chamber when we have the number.
I will never subscribe to that.
“We can reconvene, the rules are there that if we are up to 30 we can reconvene.
Why should we break into the chamber when we can reconvene legally and do what we want to do.
“It is legal.
I don’t see why anybody should contemplate that we can break into the chamber.
I don’t know about it and even if I know about it, I will say it is unwise.
Like I said, the rules are there that if we are 30 we can reconvene and do what we want to do.
If the leadership does not ask for peace, it will not get peace.
Peace is a function of leadership.
“I have been in the Senate for about four times.
I can’t allow anybody to manipulate me.
I can’t take it. Nobody was elected as Senate President.
We all came here as Senators. So we have equal footing.
We gave you leadership. If you fail to give us the right leadership and if majority of us don’t want you any more, you have to leave. “Saraki was elected by us. At any time majority of us say he should go he has to go. For the past two years, Saraki has undermined the government.
He has allowed frivolous motions to attack the President and the government.
His continued stay as Senate President does not augur well for the APC government.”
