The ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) has said it had not given up on its belief that Senate President
Bukola Saraki was an usurper who needed to vacate his position since he now
belonged to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is in minority at the
Senate.
The party also said it was confident
that the forthcoming elections would dash Saraki’s hopes of returning to the
Senate as the people of Kwara Central would reject him as their representative
at the polls.
Saraki was elected as Senate
President in June 2015, much to the chagrin of the APC leadership which had
pencilled down Senator Ahmed Lawan for the position. Several efforts by the
party to remove him from the position have failed.
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the APC
National Chairman, has been at the forefront of Saraki’s removal since his
defection to the PDP. He insisted that the position was for the APC, the party
with majority members.
On his part, Saraki has vowed to
keep his seat, saying he would only step down if he lost the support of
majority of senators.
Speaking with reporters
yesterday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said
the party had not given up on its position that Saraki was an usurper who
should vacate his position for the APC.
He, however, said it would not
allow Saraki distract the party and the government of President Muhammadu
Buhari from fulfilling its promises to Nigerians.
He said: “We have never given up
on the issue of Saraki remaining in position as Senate President. We will
continue to regard him as a usurper.
“There is nowhere in the world,
in a presidential system of government, where the minority sits as the leader
of the National Assembly, be it in the Senate or House of Representatives. It
is for the party in the majority to decide who the leader is.
“Though we see him as a usurper,
we are a serious government. We have a responsibility towards governance.
“This is somebody whose main
interest is to ensure that we don’t have the opportunity to do those things
that we have promised to do for the people of this country.
“We won’t allow such a person to
constitute a hindrance to governance. So, we have to be practical and pragmatic
as possible in a way that we will be able to deliver on our promises.”
Issa-Onilu also said the APC was
confident that Saraki would not return to the Senate for another term.
“We know that election will take
care of him. His people are going to reject him. The people of Kwara Central
will reject him at the polls come February. So, he is not a major issue for us
now.
“The major task before us is to
continue to execute those major projects that we are executing, come up with
policies and programmes that will positively impact on the lives of Nigerians.
“We are focusing on things that
will make Nigerians renew our mandate in this election. But that doesn’t mean
we ignore the fact that he is a usurper who is sitting on the seat that doesn’t
belong to him,” he said.
APC....loosers…..awon ode!
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