2019: Why I Will Never Drop Senate Presidency – Saraki

The senate president, Bukola Saraki,
has insisted that the All Progressive’s Congress has no power to remove him as the Senate President and that he is not ready to relinquish seat.

He made this statement while
speaking to journalists in Minna,
Niger State, after a visit to former
military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida.

Although Mr Saraki did not state the
reason for his visit to Mr Babangida,
it is, however, believed it has to do
with his presidential ambition.

The national chairman of APC,
Adams Oshiomhole, has
asked Mr Saraki to step down as
senate president following his
defection to the PDP.

A suit on the issue was also filed in
the Federal High Court Abuja – a suit
which the federal government asked
the court to dismiss for lack of
jurisdiction.

The senate president had told leaders
of the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) at its secretariat in the state
capital that the party was in the
majority in the upper chamber of the
National Assembly.

“They know that we are in the
majority, and whatever they want to
do, they know that they don’t have
the number.

“One thing is clear, I will not
sacrifice the interest of the country
for my personal interest, and in the
last three years as a senate president,
I have demonstrated that my interest
is second to that of national interest,
I will not step down from the Senate
presidency,” he said.

Mr Saraki also dismissed the call by
the APC for the National Assembly to
reconvene for the purpose of
removing him, describing it as
unnecessary and explained that since
the senate was properly adjourned, it
would reconvene as scheduled after
its annual break.

“We did not adjourn the Senate in
the dark, there was a procedure,
where at the end of the session there
was a vote and it was seconded that
we should go on annual recess.
“So it wasn’t anything done in the
secret, everybody was there. It is not
that some few people met somewhere
and took the decision. Everybody
participated and everybody took the
decision that we should adjourn for a
normal annual recess.

“The date that we agreed to resume
is the same date that we resumed last
year and the year before, so there is
nothing abnormal about the Senate
adjournment,” he explained.

The lawmaker further stated that his
plan was for Nigeria to be a country
rooted in the rule of law and
democratic process. He said the most
important for him is to ensure the
autonomy of the three arms of
government, to allow rule of law, to
ensure that we respect the
democratic process.

Speaking on his political prowess in
Kwara State, Mr Saraki described
those opposing him as visiting
politicians to the state.

“They are not with the people, after
the election they will go away and
then they will come back six months
to election and immediately after
election they will go away, that has
always been their pattern of politics
and the people of Kwara are not
stupid, they know those who are
with them, they know those who
care for them.”