Saraki must not remain Senate President after defection – Omo-Agege

A prominent member of the Parliamentary Support Group, a body of the All Progressives Congress members in the National Assembly loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has said the APC Caucus is insisting on the reconvening of the National Assembly.

Omo-Agege also pointed out that the APC caucus was also against the alleged proposal for a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives whenever Saraki and Dogara reconvene the National Assembly.

The lawmakerinsisted that Saraki must not remain Senate President after his defection from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party.

APC senators had met with the National Chairman of the ruling party, Adams Oshiomhole, during the week on the matter.

Omo-Agege said, “We have the information that they want to reconvene a joint session and that is completely unacceptable to us. Of course, we won’t accept it. The Senate itself has to be reconvened for this purpose. The reason (for postponing the planned recall on Tuesday) is that he knows that we have the numbers now – and indeed we have the numbers now – to remove him. Any opportunity that we have right now, we will get rid of him.

“They have no choice, they have to (reconvene). They are just postponing the evil day. The credibility of the 2019 elections is at stake and it would be a jeopardy if because of Saraki’s selfish interests he refuses to reconvene the Senate towards approving this budget. Saraki must understand that the national interest ought to supersede his personal and selfish interest. He cannot tie down the fate of the entire country just because he wants to hang on a position that we are determined to remove him from.

“We as a caucus are very resolute to remove him and at the slightest opportunity he gives to us, he is gone. We have said that he ought to do the honourable thing, the right thing by stepping down, otherwise he would be humiliated. We have the numbers and we are going to remove him.”

Saraki, in his response through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, dismissed the humiliation threat, alleging that those calling for his resignation and impeachment were the threats to Nigeria’s democracy.

He said, “We maintain our position that these are dwellers in the gutter and we won’t allow them to drag us into it. No, we won’t allow them to drag us into the gutter. There are some of them who actually should be in jail now because of their conducts. It is because they have state protection that they are not in jail.’’