Saraki And Ekweremadu: Shaky Senate Presidency
The euphoria that greeted the emergence of Senate president, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu seem to have died down already. Reality seem to have set in as legislative business commences.
Already, the aggrieved All Progressives Congress senators also known as Senate Unity Forum, who didn't support Saraki, has demanded the immediate resignation of Ekweremadu, as part of conditions that they say would make them recognise Saraki as the senate president.
Although their demands have been rebuffed by their Peoples Democratic Party counterparts, there are fears that if the APC senators resolve their differences, the deputy senate president might be shown the way out.
Legit.ng analyses why the pair of Saraki and Ekweremadu might be history sooner or later. Read below:
1. Saraki Cannot Be Trusted: The senate president is an ambitious politician. Of course, it is not a crime to be ambitious, but Saraki's ambition might make him dump his political ally on the way side. The former governor of Kwara state has never hidden his ambition to emerge as the senate president even immediately after he was elected into the upper chamber. He challenged former senate president, David Mark to the position at some point. Saraki, under pressure from his APC colleagues, is capable of sacrificing Ekweremadu in order to retain his seat.
2. APC Might Unite Again: There is every possibility that the APC senators might find a common ground and unite for the sake of their party. If this scenario occurs, this will leave Ekweremadu in a difficult position. As the APC senators might push for his removal and Saraki will be left with no choice.
3. PDP Lack The Numbers: If the APC succeeds in rallying behind Saraki, the PDP might not be able to resist the forceful removal of Saraki. This is because they lack the numbers to challenge their APC counterparts if the contest boils down to head count.
4. The "Banana Peel" Factor: Banana peel is a word that was prominent in the Nigerian political lexicon from the year 1999 to 2007. This was because in-between those years, Nigeria had five senate presidents. The proverbial banana peel is a trap by opposition figures in the upper chamber to put their target in a tight position and ultimately cause his sack. The APC senators might adopt this strategy to oust Ekweremadu.
5. PDP In-fighting: The PDP is known for its internal squabbles. The party and infighting are like Siamese twins. The internal crisis of the party is what brought the party to its present state as Nigeria's opposition party. The PDP have to be firm and supportive of Ekweremadu because any external penetration in their midst will put the deputy senate president's job on the line. The senators have to wade off any attempt to cause confusion in their party.
Source: Legit.ng
