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 minority.
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 National Assembly.
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.
