Enugu – Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on yesterday in Enugu provided fresh insight into the controversial June 9 election of the current senate leadership.
The election had produced Senator Bukola Saraki of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as Senate President and Ekweremadu of PDP as Deputy Senate President. The election also produced other principal officers of the Eight Senate.
Some APC senators who were dissatisfied with the process that produced the senate leaders had petitioned the police, alleging that the senate standing rules used for the election was forged.
The police had since concluded investigations and charged Ekweremadu, Saraki and two former clerks of the National Assembly before an Abuja Federal High Court for forgery.
But, mentoring students at the Enugu Book Fair during a programme tagged, “A Day With Senator Ike Ekweremadu,” the Deputy Senate President said he had his opportunity and took a shot at it.
Ekweremadu recalled that when he told some people that he was vying for the Deputy Senate President, they did not take him serious because APC had majority in the Senate.
“We were 49 in PDP and we wanted one of us to be Deputy Senate President. Some people do not understand that what we have in Nigeria is Presidential system of government and not parliamentary system of government. In Parliamentary system of government, the ruling party takes everything. In presidential system of government, anything can happen.
“We had a sitting fixed for 10am on June 9. Some people went to International Conference Centre for a meeting or whatever. We got there (National Assembly), my colleagues nominated me. Some APC senators also nominated somebody from APC. Voting started and by the grace of God, I was elected. The lesson there is that anytime you have opportunity, you take a shot”, Ekweremadu said.
The Deputy Senate President recalled that he set up his “Ikeoha Foundation” to assist indigent students because he wanted to give back to the society that made him.
Ekweremadu recalled that his career in the teaching profession, law practice, and the academia prepared him for politics, adding that he started as a local government chairman, rose to become Chief of Staff to the Governor, Secretary to State Government, Senator and Deputy Senate President, which he has held from 2007 till date.
Entertaining questions from journalists after the event, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of Enugu Book Fair, Uche Anioke decried the lip service paid to education in Nigeria by government at all levels.
INDEPENDENT
