The Senate yesterday opened up on the alleged plot to unseat Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and other principal officers.
The upper chamber agreed that indeed there were subterranean moves to effect leadership change in the Senate.
Senator representing Nasarawa West Abdullahi Adamu was named as the arrowhead of the alleged plot.
But Adamu, who is chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, in a reaction to the allegation, said: “I have never had any interest or ambition to remove the Senate President or anybody for that matter. I think they are trying to call a dog a bad name in order to hand it. Whatever I do in the Senate, I bear my cross and I think everybody will bear his cross.”
Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, who told his colleagues about the existence of underground plot to sack the Senate leadership, claimed to have intercepted electronic version of the plan.
Ogba, who represents Ebonyi Central, came under Order 43 (personal explanation) to table the allegation.
Ogba, who claimed to have verifiable evidence to substantiate his allegation, urged the Senate not to sweep the issue under the carpet for the sake of stability in the Senate and the country.
Although he named Adamu as the ring leader of those behind the plot, Ogba did not name others in the alleged group.
The aim of the plotters, he said, was to destabilise the Senate to enable them effect leadership change.
Adamu led the group of nine senators, who vehemently opposed the adoption of the conference committee report, which altered the election sequence in the country.
Another member of the group of nine, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, was referred to the Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions committee for investigation over his claim that the change of election sequence was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
Senator Isah Hamman Misau (Bauchi Central) was the first to alert the Senate that some people were working to remove the Senate leadership.
A former Rivers State governor was named as part of the plot.
After Ogba addressed his colleagues, the Senate resolved that he should lay the hard copy of his evidence.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, warned against any plot that would undermine the institution of the National Assembly.
Ekweremadu said: “The difference between military, autocratic or any oppressive regime and democracy is the parliament.
“Once you remove the parliament, you are going to have problems. In whatever you do, we must continue to preserve the sanctity of the parliament.
“I want to appeal that anybody who is interested in destabilising this country is not doing anybody any good. We have received this information.
“For whatever it is worth, we will refer it to our appropriate committee on Public Petitions to look at it and report back within two weeks.”
__________
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2018 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.
