Nobody will remove me – Ekweremadu

Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, Saturday, carpeted the endless ill feelings of the All Progressives Congress, APC, leadership over his position.

The APC hierarchy had continued to wail over the emergence of Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President, despite the fact that he belonged to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

The on-going trial of Ekweremadu and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki is also widely believed to have been influenced by the ruling party.

However, speaking on Saturday, Senator Ekweremadu declared that “I want to assure our people that nobody will remove me.”
The Senator, who spoke at Ezeagu Local Government Area during the Ikeoha Foundation, Adult Literacy Day and 2015/2016

Scholarship and Bursary Award, stated that “it is not by power, not by might but by the special grace of God. It is not by our trajectory; so, they cannot do anything.”

Speaking on the activities of his foundation, which had empowered thousands of people, including widows, within the last three years, Ekweremadu said he would continue to partner with the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led administration.

“Be assured that we will continue to support you; whoever is your friend will be our friend; whoever is your enemy will have us to contend with”, he told Governor Ugwuanyi.

Similarly, over 30 traditional rulers in Enugu State, who attended the event, moved to the podium and handed over “Offor staff” (a symbol of justice) to Ekweremadu, with a caution that no one should dare harm him.

His Royal Highness, Igwe Hafford Agana, who made the presentation, while others circled him, said “we are telling the whole world that nothing should happen to Ekweremadu. We have given him another Offor today.”

In his speech, Governor Ugwuanyi described Ekweremadu’s empowerment scheme as another milestone, stressing that “education is indeed the bedrock of any society.”

He added that “this is why as a government, we have continued to commit considerable resources to the provision of facilities.”

He assured that the scheme would continue to receive the support of the State government.

Source: http://dailypost.ng/2016/07/23/nobody-will-remove-ekweremadu/

NOT YET TIME TO CONTEMPLATE BUHARI’S IMPEACHMENT , ANENIH TELLS PDP SENATORS

ABUJA - Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih said Wednesday that those contemplating the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari should jettison that as the time was neither right nor the reasons compelling enough.
In a four-page letter to the Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and dated July 15, 2016, Anenih urged him to dissuade the PDP caucus in the National Assembly from participating in the alleged “ill-advised adventure” of removing President Buhari from office.
Chief Anenih as Makarfi to personally lead the process of consultation with PDP members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play what he described as a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
The letter, titled: “THE PDP CAUCUS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND THE THREAT TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI” reads: “I am constrained to write this letter by my love for our great country and my long years of involvement in the pursuit of peace, co-existence and national development.
“I am concerned about the noises coming out of the National Assembly to the effect that some of our distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are contemplating a move to impeach the President.
“I feel even more disturbed that the PDP Caucus is being rumoured to be actively involved in this plan to “go for the jugular” of the Executive. The rumoured role of the PDP Caucus is, indeed, the main reason I have chosen to write this letter to you.
“I wish to appeal to you to use your noble office as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of our great party to dissuade our party members, in the National Assembly, from embarking on or participating in this ill-advised adventure. I am persuaded, Sir, that the time is neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the President.
“I do not doubt that the National Assembly may have its grouse against the President, but I am sure that the options of consultation, dialogue and negotiation have not yet been exhausted. We should all assist in persuading our members to persevere in the pursuit of these options.
“I do not believe an attempt at impeachment, at this time, is in the best interests of the party, or the country. Such a move will create tension, instability and even crisis in our body-politic. It will unleash all those fissiparous forces which, in the last few months, have begun to gain momentum.
“Fundamentally, as the main opposition party, I believe the PDP should concern itself with an inward review of why Nigerians lost faith in us and in our party’s vision for Nigeria; our focus should therefore be on trying to figure out how we can once again regain this trust.
“As a party in opposition, what I expect is constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong. Playing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling party is an unnecessary distraction, and an exercise that appears to promote personal agenda rather than the National Interest.
“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this Government for all of these problems. Instructively, none of these problems was floated as justification for the threat of impeachment by the National Assembly.
“On the economy, it is a well known fact that all oil-producing countries are suffering from an economic down-turn because of the radical drop in the price of crude oil. As a mono-product economy, dependent on crude oil, there is no magic bubble that could have insulated us completely from the systemic shocks caused by the attendant loss of revenue.
“Rather than seek scapegoats, the situation demands that all our institutions, political parties and leaders should set aside all partisan interests, and work together to wade through these difficult times.
“It is, therefore, my wish and prayer that you, personally, lead the process of consultation with our members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
“May God continue to bless you with the wisdom to lead our party to its manifest destiny.”

MELAYE VS TINUBU : SARAKI WADES IN

ABUJA - STRONG indications emerged Wednesday that the peace and reconciliation was under way between the Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, All Progressives Congress, APC and her colleague, Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West as Senate President Bukola Saraki has intervened.
Vanguard gathered that Senator Saraki's intervention was among others, to nip in the bud, the lingering crisis between the two senators of the same political party, the APC.
A source told Vanguard that in his desirous move to end the war of words, Senate President Saraki yesterday met with both Tinubu and Melaye separately for a period of two hours each.
More details sson

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/melaye-tinubu-faceoff-saraki-wades-meet-feuding-senators-separately/

AMBASSADORIAL NOMINEES: BAYELSA, THREE OTHERS STATES FAILED VALIDITY TEST – SENATE

Concerns were again raised on Tuesday over the non-inclusion of candidates from Bayelsa, Plateau, Ondo, and Ebonyi States on the list of career Ambassadors forwarded to the Senate for screening by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This follows the presentation of report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs by Deputy Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Shehu Sani(APC), Kaduna Central Senatorial District where it was revealed that the process of nominating career Ambassadors by President Buhari was duly taken into consideration, pointing out that the affected States actually did not meet the criteria.
Sani emphasized that contrary to public outcry that the four states were marginalized, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation honoured the invitation of Senate Committee and made clarifications to the effect that the states in question fell short of necessary qualification which the Committee actually confirmed.
Criteria for appointment of Ambassadors, he noted, are based on “federal character, seniority in the service of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gender equality, specialisation, relevance and competence,” he said.
He further asserted that excluded States stand to benefit from appointment of non-career Ambassadors, hence, there was no need for further issues.
Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye (APC), Osun Central Senatorial District recalled that he was part of those who received petitions from those who felt aggrieved that their States were not reflected, but explained that the findings of the Committee as presented showed the lack of truth on the part of the petitioners.
He urged the Senate to increase women opportunity to 40%, citing that 12 out of 47 was not up to 40% in line with affirmation of gender equality.
“Mr. Senate President, you recall that I was the one that raised issues based on petition, but from the reports, petitioners were not truthful and I also want to submit that there is need to increase the number of women in the appointment in line with the 40 per cent affirmation on gender equality,” Adeyeye maintained.
While commending the Committee for a job well done, Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio moved that there is need to go ahead with the screening, while asking the FG to expedite action on the nomination of non career diplomats.
In a vote which was requested by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Senate resolved that screening of Ambassadorial nominees will go ahead immediately. 

Source: http://dailypost.ng/2016/07/20/ambassadorial-nominees-bayelsa-three-others-states-failed-validity-test-senate/

SARAKI, NOT SENATE ON TRIAL, SAYS LAWYER

Calabar - A Legal practitioner, Mr Remi Agwuezie, has called on the Nigerian Senate to face the business of law making rather than dissipate energy on the trial of Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
Agwuezie made the call on Tuesday in an interview in Calabar.
``They should allow the Senate President to face his trial as an individual not as Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
``We have 109 Senators and when one is facing trial others should continue to make laws for the country.
``Instead of causing confusion among their colleagues they should face the real business of law making, which is the main reason why they are there.
``They should stop making the trial a major issue, ‘’ he said.
He said it was a misnomer, the way the trial was allowed to take centre stage instead of the business of law making.
The lawyer pointed out that, in Law, Saraki being a citizen of Nigeria, is subject to the Law of the country, just like any other Nigerian citizen in spite of his status.
``It is not the senate as an institution that is on trial but Saraki as an individual; so, the law should be allowed to run its full cause, while the senate as an institution moves on, ‘’ he said.
Agwuezie stressed the need for the country to build strong institutions rather than strong individuals.
``We should learn to build strong institutions rather than strong individuals, ‘’ he said.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for fighting corruption in Nigeria, describing the action as courageous and bold.
``The wrought has been on for too long; and Mr President must be commended and supported to rid the country of this mess, called corruption, ‘’ he said.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/saraki-not-senate-trial-says-lawyer/

SEN TINUBU WRITES IGP, DEMANDS POLICE PROTECTION

THE lawmaker representing Lagos Central Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Remi Tinubu, has petitioned the acting Inspector-General of Police, requesting for police protection over alleged threats to her life by Senator Dino Melaye.
This came as women, drawn from the three senatorial districts in Lagos State, under the aegis of Concerned Group, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to direct relevant security agencies to institute criminal action against Melaye should he fail to tender public apology.
In the letter, Tinubu noted that her request became necessary given what she termed as Melaye’s antecedents in the House of Representatives where a brawl allegedly led by the latter resulted in the death of a lawmaker.
Signed by Tinubu, the letter titled: Request for Police Protection reads: ‘’I am Senator Oluremi Tinubu, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. During the proceedings of the Senate on Tuesday, July 14, 2016, I had cause to contribute to a matter of national importance. Apparently dissatisfied with my contributions Senator Dino Melaye threw caution to the winds, resorted to vulgar abuse of my person and wanted to assault me.
‘’It was the timely intervention of a number of colleagues which prevented Senator Melaye from unleashing a physical attack on me. However, as the leadership of the Senate did not call him to order in the circumstance, he proceeded to threaten my life without any provocation whatsoever.
‘’In view of Sen Melaye’s antecedent particularly in the House of Representatives where a brawl led by him led to the untimely death of a member, I have decided not to ignore his threat to my life. Therefore, I am compelled to urge you to use your good offices to provide me with adequate security.”...

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/sen-tinubu-writes-igp-demands-police-protection/