Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has issued warning to the All Progressives Congress (APC), not to misunderstand the National Assembly as its secretariat.
Senator Ekweremadu, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu yesterday was called up on a Ray Power Radio morning program, tagged: “Political Platform”, where he responded to questions on the alleged forgery/amendment of the Senate Standing Rule, 2011.
When asked why he occupied a seat belonging to the opposition APC as speculated he replied that the seat does 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 minoity. 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 said the making of a new Rule/Order for a new Senate or House was entirely the business of the National Assembly bureaucracy, 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 document.
Meanwhile, Ohanaeze Ndigbo had warned those threatening to harm Ekweremadu to desist from doing so or face the consequences.
