IF a Southeast pressure group has its way, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu will quit his position now.
The African League Organisation (ALO), which has asked the Deputy Senate President to resign, said any other senator from the zone should replace Ekweremadu, who it alleged has been passive in the past eight years.
The group’s call came on a day the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) backed Ekweremadu’s emergence as the Senate’s number two man in the Eighth National Assembly.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, BOT Secretary Senator Walid Jibrin described Ekweremadu’s emergence as a “good omen for democracy”.
Addressing reporters in Abuja, ALO said it had written Ekweremadu to quit.
The letter reads: ”The only noble way forward is that you should immediately step aside for one out of the remaining 14 distinguished senators from the five states that make up our zone to immediately step in to accomplish our Southeast dreams.”
It was signed by Chief Kingsley Okafor of National Progressive Coalition, Mazi Sunny Chijioke of Southeast Professionals in Commerce, Sir Okay Nwaneri of Ibos in Politics, Ike Ikemefuama of Ibos in the Diaspora and Chief Anya Onyeije of African League Organisation.
Copies of the letter were forwarded to the President General, Ohanaeze-Ndi-Igbo, the Chairman, Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers, all Southeast governors and senators.
The group predicated it’s call for Ekweremadu’s resignation on his alleged failure to use the position to advance the course of the Igbos for eight years.
They said: “We are deeply worried that while our area has been sidelined and unrepresented under your leadership as the Deputy Senate President for these eight years under review, you on 9th June, 2015 assumed the same position in the 8th Senate may be for another period of four dark years. God forbid.”
According to ALO, despite Ekweremadu’s occupation of the position, unemployment, poverty and stress have been the lot of Igbo youths.
The letter further reads. “As a leader in the Senate occupying the number two seat and Chairman, Senate Committee on States Creation, with all emoluments, entitlements and paraphernalia of the exalted office pencilled for the Southeastern zone, we expect total protection, representation on the scheme of things concerning us all.
“You failed to mobilise other 14 senators from Southeast Zone and other senators from other geo-political zones to support the Southeast cause. During this period, senators from other zones ordinarily could not have led or championed our cause without your leadership.
“Unfortunately, our zone with its numerous and peculiar problems is sidelined, marginalised and abandoned to its own faith not by the Federal Government but by its own due to lack of leadership.”
“The direct effect is that our area is left un-representated by leaders like you who ride on their back to stupendous wealth with all accolades of great life, including national honours and uncountable number of chieftaincy titles within this period.”
But Ekweremadu got the support of the BOT’s, which described his emergence as the best thing to
have ever happened to democracy.
have ever happened to democracy.
Senator Jibrin, who stated the BOT position, however, denied that the BOT got N35 million for the presidential campaign. He noted that the party will be repositioned to regain power in 2019.
He also said at no time did he say the party’s National Convention will hold next month, noting that with the present situation and the fact that all the party organs were democratically elected, there was no way a National Convention could hold in August.
His words: “I never said PDP will hold National Convention in August. What I said after our last BOT meeting was that the BOT at its meeting on May 25, 2015, elected Dr. Bello as Acting Chairman for three months after which the BOT will meet to elect its substantive chairman
”Similarly, the party agreed that Uche Secondus, the current National Chairman, should equally act as National Chairman for three months to give way for the emergence of a new National Chairman from the Northeast zone in compliance with established tradition and constitutional provision.
“The current National Working Committee (NWC), states, local government councils and ward chapters have a tenure which will expire in March. The emergence of BOT chairman and national chairman after three months will prepare for a meeting of caucus, BOT, NEC and convention to elect officials.”
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