APC Senators Back Embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki – Resignation Not An Option.
While the intrigues that beguile the event of the defection of the Senate President Bukola Saraki from the ruling APC to the main opposition party the PDP continue to play out, Bukola Saraki’s resolve to hold on to the office of the Senate President might have gotten a boost as some APC senators have backed him.
According to reports reaching flawlessview.com, the senators representing Bauchi Central and Kwara South, Isa Hama Misau and Rafiu Ibrahim respectively, are reported to have warned APC Senator Abu Ibrahim representing Katsina South, not to constitute any distraction when the Senate reconvenes on September 25, because according to them, the resignation of Dr. Bukola Saraki from the office of the Senate President was not an option.
Bukola Saraki’s media assistant Olu W. Onemola, circulated a joint statement by both Misau and Ibrahim, where they claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party, now has the majority in the upper chamber and as a preliminary to settle issues, they will call for a head count, the two senators claimed that APC has 48 members, however, a list published by the APC shows that the party still has 52 members despite the defection of Senate President Bukola Saraki and a dozen others from APC to PDP.
They vowed that should the APC senators attempt anything illegal because of their access to security forces which the executive arm of government has put at their disposal, it will be fire for fire. The statement read:
“It is obvious from the statements of Abu Ibrahim that he and his cohorts are not democrats. They do not believe in rule of law, the provisions of the constitution, the standing order of the Senate, parliamentary procedure and the due process.
“How will a supposed democrat be threatening disruption of peace in the parliament because his party lost members and lost its majority status?
“We will use our strength to defend the position of the present leadership of the Senate under Dr. Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu. We will defend democracy and rule of law against the pretenders. We will show that every Senator represents different constituencies in our country.
“Our colleague from Katsina State has equally demonstrated that even though he has spent four terms in the legislature, he has not imbibed parliamentary ethos. Even his knowledge of the provisions of the law and the Senate rules is suspect. That is why he misrepresented the provisions of Rule 12 order 1, 2 and 3 of the Senate about the process of reconvening the Senate after it properly adjourned. By the provision, without all the leaders of the four parties initiating the reconvening of the Senate before the adjourned date, nothing can legally happen. Also without the consent of the Senate President, nothing can happen.
“We urge him and his colleagues to know that if they tried anything illegal and indecent, we will resist it through legal means. They saw an instance with the way our colleagues in the House of Representatives quickly gathered to foil their failed coup early this week.
“Abu Ibrahim and his cohorts have shown that they are desperate to win the 2019 elections at all cost by all means. We are surprised that this defection is making APC so uncomfortable that they are ready to bring the country down because some Senators left their party. We gave them all the opportunities to make amends from their destructive, non-inclusive and dictatorial ways. They did not take the chances and were behaving as if nobody matters. They are running a government by cabals, serving selfish interests and forgetting all the promises the party made to the people before being elected into office”
