The decision to contest for Deputy Senate President was in
protest of the 2018 invasion of the Senate, Enugu West Senator, Ike
Ekweremadu, has said.
Mr Ekweremadu said it is ’embarrassing’ for the Senate to have
as it’s Deputy Senate President a lawmaker who led thugs to the
chamber.
This, he said, informed his decision to contest for the
position.
Mr Ekweremadu polled just 37 votes losing to Mr Omo-Agege who
had 68.
Mr Omo-Agege allegedly led thugs to invade the senate chamber in
April, last year, and forcefully remove the mace.
Speaking to journalists after his loss on Tuesday, Mr Ekweremadu
said his failure to clinch the deputy senate president position
again does not matter.
“I believe there must be a referendum,” he said.
“Look at what happened on a day I was presiding and chambers
invaded. It is embarrassing that someone who led that operation
will take a bow and is endorsed and we all walk home like it
doesn’t matter. I wanted a situation where we could present a
referendum in respect of what transpired.”
Mr Ekweremadu said he did not contest to win. He said the
decision was only taken a few hours to the election.
“Early this morning, we were not minded to run for any office,
we thought that our friends in APC in consensus candidate that we
can all be proud of, we don’t want a situation where we will say
what happened here and you came and endorsed same person Deputy
President of the Senate. We need to exonerate ourselves. It was not
a contest to win or lose, I wanted to make a statement.”
Mr Ekweremadu was first elected Senator in 2003 and has since
continued to win re-election.
In 2007, he emerged the Deputy Senate President, a position he
held till a few days ago.
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