Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, warned the All
Progressives Congress, APC, not to misconstrue the National Assembly as
its secretariat.
Senator Ekweremadu, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Uche
Anichukwu, was called up on a RayPower Radio morning programme, tagged:
“Political Platform”, where he responded to questions on the alleged
forgery/amendment of the Senate Standing Rule, 2011.
When told that some people, especially from the opposition APC felt that
his principal took a seat that rightly belonged to the APC, Mr Anichukwu
said the seat did not belong to any political party.
He said: “Going by Section 50 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, that Office
doesn’t belong to anybody or party. It belongs to Nigerians. That is why
APC lawmakers became Speakers in Plateau and Benue State Assemblies last
June even when the APC was in minoity. By the way, are some people trying
to tell Nigerians that if the PDP had won majority in the National
Assembly, which is an independent arm of government, and head both
chambers, then the President Buhari Administration would cease to
function?
“Just as I said in a statement a few days ago, we will not be intimidated
and will do everything democratically possible to protect the independence
of the
He washed his hands off the allegation, saying at the time the said Senate
Standing Rule/Order 2015 was made, he had ceased being the Deputy Senate
President and so was no longer a principal officer to have contributed to
the making of the document in question.
He said the making of a new Rule/Order for a new Senate or House was
entirely the business of the National Assembly bureucracy, asking those
striving to frame him up to look elsewhere.
He said: “Let me just explain here that every National Assembly, that is
every Senate or House has its Standing Rule/Order as every Standing
Rule/Order normally has a life span of four years. So, if you go to the
Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly now, you are likely to find
Standing Rules/Orders of 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and the current 2015.
“From the point of the valedictory session of the 7th Senate on 4th June,
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Distinguished Senator David Mark and the rest of
other members of the 7th Senate ceased to be senators until the 9th of
June, when the 8th Senate was inaugurated; and as usually done, the new
senators received new Standing Rule/Order 2015.
“The making of that 2015 edition of the Senate Rule/Order is the business
of the bureaucracy of the National Assembly. What the 8th Senate can do,
which its predecessors have sometimes done is to amend as suitable. And
the process of the amendment is spelt out in the that document.