There are strong indications that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, might be ousted out of office in the coming weeks, as plans to remove him have allegedly being put in place, following the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari had with Governors from the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Tuesday, July 26.
Post-Nigeria had earlier reported that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had been under pressure to remove his deputy, in other to have a soft landing, both at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, and the ongoing case, over forgery allegation of the Senate Standing rule.
Related: Saraki Under Deadly Pressure, Plots Ekweremadu’s Removal
Ekweremadu, while reacting to the said plot, had in a statement reaffirmed his resolve to remain as Deputy Senate President, maintaining that he cannot be intimidated by the Leadership of the APC, over attempts to remove him from office.
Related: Tinubu, Others ‘Take Off’ As Ekweremadu Releases Very Powerful Statement
Post-Nigeria gathered that the meeting held by the APC Governors with the President last night, had extensively discussed the issues, with a plan put in place to finally resolve the face off at the National Assembly.
Recall, that the feud had lingered for more than a year since the APC won control of the National Assembly, as they are not happy that an opposition party is sitting at a very sensitive position in the Legislature.
After a two-hour meeting with President Buhari yesterday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, said the forum was concerned about the crisis in the parliament.
He said, “We are concerned about the incessant happenings in the National Assembly, and we have taken it upon ourselves to look into the matter,” Okorocha said.
According to a close source, the APC Governors main reason for meeting with the President, was all in a bid to take its final stand on the issues of Leadership tussle at the National Assembly.
Post-Nigeria gathered that the development is coming at a time Okorocha, had in a statement said that the Deputy Senate President will soon lose his seat.
The Source said, “From what I gathered, the governors are trying to get a middle ground so that the protracted crisis that is creeping into the second year can be resolved.
“Both the president and the Senate leadership would shift ground; there would be compromise and sacrifice.
“Specifically, the president had noted that party supremacy must be respected, meaning, the Senate president must go back to square one and abide by the recommendation of the party before the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.
“Please try and get me right, I’m not saying that the president said Senate President Bukola Saraki must resign or not; this position is left for the outcome of the on-going negotiations and the governors are being circumspect in divulging some information to the media, so as not to jeopardize the process.
“But remember, the APC ab-initio gave a list of names of those they wanted as presiding officers of the two chambers,” the source said.
Meanwhile, another source noted that during a recent meeting between the APC governors and the president, which was not made known to the media, it was agreed that Saraki would reshuffle the Senate standing committees in order to accommodate some of the preferred candidates of the APC and by extension, the president.
“That was what prompted the recent change in the Senate but more is on the way,” he said.
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