EKWEREMADU TO APC: LEAVE ME ALONE

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, called on leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave members of the National Assembly and face governance challenges staring it in the face.
He said rather than wasting time on who occupies what position in the National Assembly, the APC-led government should initiate policies that would better the lives of Nigerians.
Since his emergence as deputy Senate president on June 9, Ekweremadu, a member of the minority Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been criticised by some APC senators, who argued that his election was in breach of rules of the Senate.
But Ekweremadu, who spoke during a courtesy call by the Coalition of Election Observers, said his election was in accordance with the Standing Order of the Senate.
He said senators would not be distracted by any outside influence, hinting that the 8th Senate would come up with legislations that would benefit Nigerians, including an amendment of the Electoral Act for more credible elections in 2019.
He said: “We are about to form legislative agenda for the 8th Senate. This will include electoral reforms.”
Leader of the coalition, Nwambu Gabriel, said that Ekweremadu’s emergence as deputy Senate president in an APC-dominated Senate was an indication that Nigeria’s democracy was growing.
He said there was nothing wrong in having Ekweremadu as deputy Senate president because that has been the practice in developed democracies.