{"id":61190,"date":"2018-03-16T17:15:59","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T16:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=61190"},"modified":"2018-03-16T17:15:59","modified_gmt":"2018-03-16T16:15:59","slug":"ekweremadu-demonising-a-demagogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/ekweremadu-demonising-a-demagogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Ekweremadu: Demonising a demagogue"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22676\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22701\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22711\" align=\"center\"><b id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22712\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22713\">By Sufuyan Ojeifo<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22714\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22715\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22716\">Since emerging as deputy senate president in 2015, despite being a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ike Ekweremadu has been a subject of both subtle and brazen attacks by entrenched interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC). They see him as a usurper of the conventional privileges of presiding officers that the APC, as the ruling party, should have maximized by producing both the senate president and the deputy senate president.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22717\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22718\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22719\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22720\">Ekweremadu has been deputy senate president since 2007.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22721\"><\/span>He was deputy to former senate president, David Mark, for eight years until 2015 when the PDP lost its majority in the National Assembly to the APC.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22722\"><\/span>When that happened, there was celebration in the camp of the APC because the leadership of the federal legislature was believed to be right in its kitty.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22723\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22724\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22725\">But inthe riveting jigsaw nature of politics, Ekweremadu had sensationally retained his seat in an APC-controlled Senate, following the election that held in June 2015.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22726\"><\/span>Bukola Saraki, who emerged as senate president, in complete defiance of his partys position on National Assembly leadership, had thrown the office of the deputy senate president into the mix of political negotiations.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22727\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22728\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22729\">Saraki, at that point in time, desperately needed the strategic support of the 45-member PDP senate caucus.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22730\"><\/span>With his 21 APC members&#8217; loyalist group in the 109-member senate joining forces with the PDP caucus, he would be home and dry in the election for the position of senate president with a simple majority vote.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22731\"><\/span>Ekweremadus election would then follow suit in a foolproof political strategy that would greatly unsettle the APC.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22732\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22733\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22734\">The fact that Saraki emerged senate president, unopposed, is a fact of history. Those who should have sponsored a candidate against him were elsewhere outside the senate chamber waiting for a meeting by the APC leadership only for them to get to the senate to meet only the election to the office of deputy senate president, for which they sponsored a candidate.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22735\"><\/span>Regardles, Ekweremadu still won by landslide.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22736\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22737\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22738\">Since then, all manner of plots have been hatched to disparage Ekweremadu in order to prepare the ground for his ouster. The first in the series of attempts to demonise him was his alleged involvement in the forgery of the senate standing rules used by the bureaucracy to conduct the election that brought in the Saraki-Ekweremadu leadership.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22739\"><\/span>He was also recently mentioned in an alleged ownership of a property in London.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22740\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22741\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22742\">There is no love lost between Saraki and the forces that have since been arrayed against him and Ekweremadu. To remove the duo is their desire but they have found it very difficult despite their orchestrated false asset declaration trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal to which Saraki, in particular, has been subjected.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22743\"><\/span>Both of them have remained in the saddle to the frustration of APC leadership and Buharis Presidency.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22744\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22745\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22746\">The above background became necessary in order to comprehend and mitigate the out-of-context reactions by Nigerians to Ekweremadus passionate and fecund contributions on the floor in which he warned against military takeover of power in Nigeria. The thinking of many Nigerians is that Ekweremadu called for military takeover.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22747\"><\/span>He did not.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22748\"><\/span>His argument was as clear as it was reasonable. He only cautioned against official dispositions and political actions that could encourage it.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22749\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22750\"><\/span><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22751\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22752\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22753\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22754\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22755\">Read him: The problem in Nigeria today is that our democracy is receding, and the international community needs to know this.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22756\"><\/span>Who says that the army cannot take over in Nigeria?<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22757\"><\/span>It is possible.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22758\"><\/span>Yes, it is possible.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22759\"><\/span>Let us not joke with our democracy.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22760\"><\/span>The way they are goingso that is the issue.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22761\"><\/span>Last week, were talking about the house of a senator that was destroyed in Kaduna state.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22762\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22763\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22764\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22765\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22766\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22767\">We are talking about security people laying siege to (Senator) Dino (Melaye).<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22768\"><\/span>We are talking about (former Governor Rabiu Musa) Kwankwaso who was stopped from going to his state, a state he ruled for eight years.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22769\"><\/span>He couldnt go to that state.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22770\"><\/span>We saw people carrying clubs, waiting for him at the airport.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22771\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22772\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22773\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22774\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22775\">In Kaduna, (Senator) Shehu Sani cannot organise a committee meeting. And we say we are talking about a democracy. And somebody said that this democracy will continue like this. Its not gonna continue (this way) if they are holding meetings every day on how to deal with each and every one of us here. So it is important that the international community know this, because they helped us to restore democracy to Nigeria. Some gangs of people are trying to truncate the entire democracy.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22776\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22777\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22779\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22780\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22781\">A careful deconstruction of Ekweremadus statements does not show that he was calling for military takeover.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22782\"><\/span>He is too educated and brilliant to commit that faux pas.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22783\"><\/span>The Enugu-born politician was only adverting global attention to the burgeoning civilian dictatorship in Nigeria presently.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22784\"><\/span>He was calling for reasonable action by the Nigerian people against actions that could make the polity tentative and governance vulnerable to invasion by some external interests or forces. He wanted Nigerians to be vigilant in the defence of democracy amid the official muzzling of critical voices, democratic space and popular participation.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22785\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22786\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22788\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22789\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22790\">On its part, the military admitted that Ekweremadus statement was not tantamount to calling for a military takeover.<\/span><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22791\">The Acting Director, Defence Information (DDI), Brig.-Gen. John Agim, in a statement in Abuja, noted that although Ekweremadus statement appeared cautionary and sincere in the atmosphere of discourse, yet it was however derogatory to the Army in the expression used and by extension to the Armed Forces of Nigeria. According to him, Shortly after the transition from a military to a democratically elected government in 1999, officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, who were quasi-political, were honourably eased out of service.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22792\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22793\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22795\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22796\">But then, is this an assurance that there are no politically-minded officers in the military anymore? Is the statement by Brig.-General Agim a guarantee that our democracy is on a solid ground, immune against possible onslaught by the military? Whether or not it is a guarantee is not a matter for contemplation at all.<\/span><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22797\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22799\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22800\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22801\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22803\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22804\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22805\">Back to Ekweremadus statement, I consider it to be a call for eternal vigilance.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22806\"><\/span>He seemed to be evangelical in support of maximum defence of democracy and democratic rule in Nigeria.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22807\"><\/span>He was angry, as it were, with the way and manner the APC administration has bullied and almost mummified forces that are considered to be opposed to the interest of the president both within and outside the APC.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22808\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22809\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22811\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22812\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22813\">That was fundamentally Ekweremadu&#8217;s singsong.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22814\"><\/span>He was not in any way inviting the military.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22815\"><\/span>He has been in government since 1999, starting out as Chief of Staff to the Enugu State Governor and Secretary to the State Government from 1999 to 2003 before coming to the Senate in 2003.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22816\"><\/span>He still has a political future that is very bright and would, therefore, not want any form of truncation at this intersection.<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22817\"><\/span>If his personal politics should suffer any setback, he would gladly wish that it happens in an electoral battle and not in the hands of some military adventurers in political life.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22818\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22819\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22821\" style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<ul id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22822\">\n<li id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22823\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22824\" dir=\"ltr\"><b id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22825\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22826\">Ojeifo contributed this piece from Abuja via ojwonderngr@yahoo.com<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22889\" class=\"signature\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520851486647_22888\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Sufuyan Ojeifo Since emerging as deputy senate president in 2015, despite being a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ike Ekweremadu has been a subject of both&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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