Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, warned the All
\nProgressives Congress, APC, not to misconstrue the National Assembly as
\nits secretariat.<\/p>\n
Senator Ekweremadu, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Uche
\nAnichukwu, was called up on a RayPower Radio morning programme, tagged:
\n\u201cPolitical Platform\u201d, where he responded to questions on the alleged
\nforgery\/amendment of the Senate Standing Rule, 2011.<\/p>\n
When told that some people, especially from the opposition APC felt that
\nhis principal took a seat that rightly belonged to the APC, Mr Anichukwu
\nsaid the seat did not belong to any political party.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cGoing by Section 50 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, that Office
\ndoesn\u2019t belong to anybody or party. It belongs to Nigerians. That is why
\nAPC lawmakers became Speakers in Plateau and Benue State Assemblies last
\nJune even when the APC was in minoity. By the way, are some people trying
\nto tell Nigerians that if the PDP had won majority in the National
\nAssembly, which is an independent arm of government, and head both
\nchambers, then the President Buhari Administration would cease to
\nfunction?<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as I said in a statement a few days ago, we will not be intimidated
\nand will do everything democratically possible to protect the independence
\nof the
\nHe washed his hands off the allegation, saying at the time the said Senate
\nStanding Rule\/Order 2015 was made, he had ceased being the Deputy Senate
\nPresident and so was no longer a principal officer to have contributed to
\nthe making of the document in question.<\/p>\n
He said the making of a new Rule\/Order for a new Senate or House was
\nentirely the business of the National Assembly bureucracy, asking those
\nstriving to frame him up to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cLet me just explain here that every National Assembly, that is
\nevery Senate or House has its Standing Rule\/Order as every Standing
\nRule\/Order normally has a life span of four years. So, if you go to the
\nOffice of the Clerk to the National Assembly now, you are likely to find
\nStanding Rules\/Orders of 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and the current 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the point of the valedictory session of the 7th Senate on 4th June,
\nSenator Ike Ekweremadu, Distinguished Senator David Mark and the rest of
\nother members of the 7th Senate ceased to be senators until the 9th of
\nJune, when the 8th Senate was inaugurated; and as usually done, the new
\nsenators received new Standing Rule\/Order 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe making of that 2015 edition of the Senate Rule\/Order is the business
\nof the bureaucracy of the National Assembly. What the 8th Senate can do,
\nwhich its predecessors have sometimes done is to amend as suitable. And
\nthe process of the amendment is spelt out in the that document.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n