Skip to main content

For national interest, we won't remove Saraki- APC senators

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, should now heave a sigh of relief, as senators representing All Progressives Congress (APC), have dropped plans to remove him as president of the Senate.

Since Mr Saraki’s defection to the PDP,
the APC leadership and some of its senators repeatedly called on him to resign as Senate President or be removed from office. APC Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was particularly vociferous in his threat to ensure Mr Saraki is removed if he does not resign.

However, in a twist of tales, after a meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House on Friday, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe), said that all the senators across party lines have agreed to work together "in national interest".

“We definitely have to bury our hatchets for us to work for Nigeria and Nigerians. Perhaps that might have informed the disappointment of many people that there will be crisis in the National Assembly,” Mr Lawan told State House journalists.

The senator then suggested the he and his APC colleagues had put national interest above party interest by abandoning the plot to remove Mr Saraki.

“I don’t know what informed your view to anticipate crisis but let me tell you that National Assembly will continue to remain focus on national issues, we must be patriotic, nationalistic. We must put national interest above individual, parochial or partisan interest.

“Let me also say that disagreements are usual. In fact, there are very practical components of any parliament, when you have two to three parties or even within parties, you will have views that may differ. It is traditional, it is usual for us to disagree. Maybe these disagreements may crop up and some other issues. But for now, our focus is on national interest,” he said.

When specifically asked if he and his APC colleagues had dropped the plan to remove Mr Saraki, the Senate Leader simply said national interest overrides any other interest for now.

“The National Assembly is a Nigerian parliament and therefore the best thing to do is to ensure that Nigerians gets a good deal and for now the good deal is for Nigeria to have all those pending request of Mr President approved by the National Assembly.

“I think the national interest for now overrides any other interest. Our intention is to ensure that Mr President doesn’t lack from inactivity of the National Assembly. That whatever he requests, the fundamental aspects especially will be attended to. This is our determination both as APC senators. In fact as Senate and National Assembly.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Iheukwumere builds house for homeless man in Afikpo

The three-bedroom flat Iheukwumere built for Jaguar A House of Assembly aspirant in Afikpo, Ebonyi state, Mr Iheukwumere Okogwu Otu, has handed over a three-bedroom flat he built for a homeless man in Ezi Agbii, Ukpa, in Afikpo North local government area of Ebonyi state. Iheukwumere, who is the Special Adviser (SA) to Hon. Maria Ude Nwachi, member representing Afikpo North East Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly (EBHA), made the donation Tuesday during his birthday celebration. In an exclusive chat with Paul Okah Blog , Iheukwumere said that the kind gesture was borne out of the fact that the milk of kindness flowing in his veins could not allow him to bear the sight of the beneficiary, Mr Chukwu Oko (a.k.a Jaguar) being homeless. Iheukwumere said that, despite having limited resources, he dedicated his salary as SA to start the project in 2014, due to the fact that the beneficiary had been sleeping outside with his six children since 2007. He sa...

Don't quit by Edgar Albert Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you're trudging seems all uphill, when the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile but you have to sigh, when care is pressing you down a bit - rest if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns. As everyone of us sometimes learns. And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man; Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup; and he learned too late when the night came down, how close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and when you never can tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems afar; so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem...

Stop inflicting economic hardship on Ebonyians with tax demands, ex-SSG implores Umahi

Former Secretary to the State Government of Ebonyi State, Professor Benard Odoh, has implored the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, to desist from inflicting economic hardship on Ebonyians. In an open letter he made available to Paulokahblog Friday morning, Odoh said that, "as a way of cushioning the devastating effects of the covid-19 pandemic on Ebonyi’s struggling economy, there is urgent need to jettison the collection of tenement rates/ground rents from landlords, excessive/forceful drive for quarry haulage levies and waiving of personal income taxes".  Odoh regretted that, despite the efforts of the state government in policing its borders against the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebonyi State, as of May 21, has recorded 13 cases and expressed hope that the situation would not get worse in the state in particular and Nigeria in general, even as he pledged support for the state government in ensuring that the active cases are managed successfully "to t...