EZREL TABIOWO writes on the politics of the failed assassination attempt on the life of Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, last week Tuesday, and asks: who wants the Enugu lawmaker eliminated?
Ike Ekweremadu’s foray into politics began with his election as Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area in 1997. In 2002, he was appointed as Secretary to the Enugu State Government, and later Chief of Staff of the Enugu State Government House.
Senator Ekweremadu, who holds a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law from the University of Nigeria, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from the University of Abuja, began his Senatorial career on April 12, 2003, when he was elected into the Nigerian Senate to represent Enugu West Senatorial District.
His emergence as Deputy Senate President on June 9, 2015, makes it the third time he was duly returned as principal officer of the red chamber.
Before then, Ekweremadu had served eight years in that capacity from 2007 to 2015, during the 6th and 7th Senate under the leadership of Senator David Mark.
It is however on record too that Ekweremadu’s quest to lead the Red Chamber in 2005 suffered setback following his defeat by Senator Kenechukwu Nnamani.
Ekweremadu’s stint for ensuring accountability began when as Vice Chairman, Senate committee on Information in September 2003, he stated that the senate would probe allegations of bribery leveled by then Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufai. Relations between Nasir el-Rufai and the senate continued to be hostile. Consequently, el-Rufai who presently is the governor of Kaduna State, was eventually charged with corruption in 2008.
In July 2006, as spokesperson for the Southern Senators’ Forum, Ekweremadu denied charges that an agreement was reached to return power to the North in the 2007 elections.
In September of the same year, President Olusegun Obasanjo asked the Senate to review a report by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that laid charges of fraud against the country’s Vice-President at the time, Atiku Abubakar.
Though Ike Ekweremadu promised to establish a committee of inquiry whose report would be submitted to the Senate, he noted that impeachment would be difficult since it would require a 2/3 majority.
In addition to his many achievements, Ekweremadu in September 2009, was appointed to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ad hoc committee to work for the return of constitutional order in the Niger Republic.
He was elected First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and emerged the Speaker of the regional parliament in August 2011.
The battle for Enugu West
Prior to the 2015 National Assembly primary election of the People’s Democratic Party, former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime and Ekweremadu had locked horns in fierce battle over who would represent Enugu West in the Senate.
The ambition of the duo, which led to the division of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, had two factions led by Chief Ikeji Asogwa and the other by Elder David Aja.
Elder David Aja, deputy state chairman of the state chapter of the PDP, assumed the position of the acting chairman, citing relevant provisions of the party’s constitution as basis for his action, and to which the national leadership of the party agreed.
Recall that two Federal High Courts in Abuja had also conferred authority on him to pilot the affairs of the party until further notice.
It was against this background that Ajah conducted the November 1 congress in the 260 wards in the state to elect the three-man ad-hoc delegates from each ward. The delegates were to elect candidates for the State and National Assemblies, as well as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
Aja, who hails from Aninri local government area – the same local government as Ekweremadu, is also alleged to be an in-law to the deputy senate president.
As expected, all the delegates that emerged during the November 1 ward congress were by implication, loyal to Ekweremadu.
Sensing impending defeat, some members loyal to Governor Chime approached an Enugu High Court presided over by the State Chief Judge, Justice Innocent Umezuluike, seeking an order of the court to restrain the national leadership of the PDP from accepting the delegates list submitted by the Ekweremadu group, until the final determination of the suit challenging the November 1 ward congress in the state.
While the Chime group insisted that the congress did not hold in Enugu on November 1, due to the non-arrival of both the members of the electoral committee and materials from Abuja, a faction of the partly said to be loyal to the Deputy Senate President, claimed that the congress held.
The judge ruled in favour of the plaintiffs. He restrained the national leadership of the PDP from making use of the delegates list until further notice. The judge was to have given a definite ruling on the case on November 28, but adjourned the ruling on the controversial ward congress to December 12, after the court was told that the two feuding parties were at the verge of resolving the matter out of court.
However, the PDP at the national level and the Presidency under Goodluck Jonathan, it was gathered, waded into the crisis in Enugu, and advised Ex-Governor Chime to allow Ekweremadu go back to the Senate while the former takes charge over producing representatives in the two other senatorial zones.
The new agreement, it was gathered, subsequently led to the harmonisation of interests by the two political giants, a decision which led to peaceful conduct of elections in the state.
The governor was said to have agreed to drop his senatorial ambition on the basis that his anointed aspirant – now Governor Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi – would be elected the party’s gubernatorial candidate for next year’s general elections.
The agreement also included that the governor’s camp would produce a large chunk of candidates for the State House of Assembly election. The idea, according to a source close to the meeting, is to produce legislators that would not be antagonistic to Ugwuanyi if elected governor.
PDP’s stunt on APC
Sequel to its victory at the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the All Progressive Congress, which used to be Nigeriak4 opposition party, assumed majority status in the eighth Senate.
With the Peoples Democratic Party in the minority with 49 Senators, the stage was set for the All Progressive Congress to produce the leadership of eighth Senate.
The leadership of the APC, whose workings favoured the adoption of candidates to occupy the leadership positions of the upper chamber, led to the choice of Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume for Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.
But a crack however occurred in the party following Senator Bukola Saraki’s bid for the Senate Presidency, a development which created a division among elected members of the eighth senate.
The division subsequently led to the emergence of two groups namely: the Senators Unity Forum – those against Saraki’s ambition – and Like Minds Senators – a pro-Saraki group.
Consequently, in view of the division among APC senators, which by calculation translated to the inability of the party to maintain its majority block votes needed to produce the leadership of the upper chamber, same made it imperative on the two groups to seek the support of members belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Clearly sensing its power in determining who emerges as Senate President of the eighth senate, the Peoples Democratic Party immediately swung into action by reaching a deal with the Pro-Saraki group, to which the party felt comfortable with owing to Senator Saraki’s zest for internal democracy.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the All Progressive Congress in an attempt to enforce its resolution on members of the party in the upper chamber called for an emergence meeting on the morning of election and inauguration of the eighth senate.
The meeting, it was gathered, was intended to reconcile both factions in the upper chamber ahead of election.
But a twist ensued when members of the Pro-Saraki group failed to show up for the meeting scheduled an hour before elections at the international conference centre, Abuja.
The Like Minds Senators, alongside their colleagues in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, went ahead in the absence of members of the Unity Forum to elect unopposed, Senator Saraki as President of the eighth Senate against the wishes of the leadership of the All Progressive Congress.
Also elected was Senator Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party as Deputy Senate President after defeating Senator Ali Ndume, who was nominated to contest the same position by 54 to 20 votes.
Ekweremadu’s emergence, which did not go down well with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, was severally protested by Anti-Saraki Senators and the party who called for his resignation.
According to them, one of the conditions that must be met before the faction can consider Saraki as the Senate President is for Ekweremadu to resign.
Spokesperson of the aggrieved Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, said the pro-Saraki senators must explain why they disregarded all the arrangements put in place by the leaders of the APC to produce consensus candidates for post of Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
He said, “We demand that Senator Ike Ekweremadu must resign his position because he needed at least 55 senators to emerge as deputy senate president. Ekweremadu is a lawyer and an experienced lawmaker. He knows he is not qualified to win the election with 54 votes.”
Marafa said the pro-Saraki lawmakers should tell the party leadership why they rushed to the chamber on June 9 and hurriedly conducted the election, while the rest of the APC lawmakers were at the International Conference Centre, waiting for the President Muhammadu Buhari, to arrive.
He added, “Our colleagues, the Like Minds Senators, on three occasions failed to honour the directive of the party for an arrangement to produce consensus candidates for the senate president and deputy senate president.
“They refused to take part in the mock election when 35 APC senators elected Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume as the party’s consensus candidates for the two top positions in the Senate.
“They also refused to honour the invitation extended to all of us to attend a meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on June 8, and another meeting called by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 9”.
Forgery allegation
Following Ekweremadu’s refusal to resign as Deputy Senate President, the Enugu lawmaker was accused by members of the SUF of using his position to alter the rules to favour himself during the controversial election.
Supporters loyal to Ekweremadu while reacting to the allegations, raised alarm that same was intended to level criminal charges against him just so as to have him removed from office.
The lawmakers had alleged that the leadership of the 7th Senate, where Senator David Mark and Ekweremadu served as President and Deputy President of the Senate, illegally altered the Senate Rule to allow the PDP, which is now the minority party in the 8th Senate, occupy the Deputy Senate position.
But the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, who describe the allegation as “bogus”, accused the APC of moving forcefully to oust Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
Faulting APC
Barely a week before the assassination attempt on Ekweremadu, the Deputy President of the Senate called on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, faithful to hold the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government accountable on its campaign promises.
He made the call in Abuja at the PDP National Conference themed “PDP and the Sustenance of Democratic Ideals in Nigeria”.
Senator Ekweremadu recalled that even during military rule, the PDP founding fathers under the aegis of the G34, “looked tyranny in the face and demanded a return to democratic rule”.
“Looking at the way our country is being run by the APC-led Federal Government today, it is safe to say that we are back in the trenches for democracy because credible and responsible opposition is an essential, indeed indispensable component of thriving democracy and good governance”, Ekweremadu added.
He, however, cautioned the PDP faithful to continue to stick to fact-based, responsible, and patriotic opposition.
“The ruling party must always be put at the mercy of the truth, for the job of the opposition is to confront errors with the truth; to stand up for what is right; to offer constructive criticisms of the follies and errors of the ruling party; and to proffer better ideas for moving the nation forward”.
The Senator regretted that the APC was yet to keep any of its campaign promises and called on the PDP to set us a Shadow Cabinet to benchmark the ruling party on its promises.
He added: “As could be seen from the events of the past few months, it is evident that while a party may ride to power on the wings of propaganda, it takes more than propaganda to govern well and retain goodwill.
“The APC won by promising much more than they could deliver.
They promised to scale up the exchange rate of our currency to a Naira to one US Dollar. Have they kept this promise? They promised to bring back the Chibok girls in less than three months. Have they brought back the Chibok Girls? They promised to pay N5,000 to unemployed youths. Have they paid a kobo to any youth? They promised free meals to our children in the schools. Have they given any? They recently promised to end the Boko Haram insurgency in December 2015. We earnestly hope and pray that this particular promise is kept in the overall interest of our nation”.
The PDP chieftain faulted the management of the economy since May 2015, saying the country lacked economic direction.
The assassination plot
On Tuesday morning last week, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, escaped suspected assassination attempt, a statement disclosed.
The statement which was issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Uche Anichukwu, said “The attempt occurred at about 10:00am between Apo Flyover and Dantata Construction Company’s yard, close to the Old Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Headquarters junction on his way to work.
According to the statement, “The suspected assassins who operated in a tinted, white-coloured Mercedez Benz AMG E63 without a plate number, were chauffeured by a long-bearded light skinned foreigner, apparently a mercenary.
“The vehicle, which was positioned by the Apo Bridge, on noticing that the Deputy President of the Senate’s convoy took the right turn to join the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway instead, made a turn. The occupants attempted to attack the convoy, but were blocked. The driver violently broke into the convoy and they made several frantic attempts to attack the Senator’s official car.
“When charged at by the security operatives attached to the Deputy President of the Senate, the Benz driver made a U-turn, and partially smashed an oncoming vehicle on the opposite lane of the highway and escaped.”
Anichukwu added that the development has already been reported to the security agencies.
But in another development, Oluremi Tinubu, senator representing Lagos central and wife of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), caused a stir a day after the attempt on Ekweremadu’s life when she sat on the chair meant for the deputy senate president.
Tinubu, who wanted to second a motion on the approval of the Lagos state development policy operation loan, earned the rebuke of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators, when she stood up to speak while standing in the deputy senate president’s seat.
The lawmaker bowed to the pressure of the PDP senators and left for her seat to second the motion. However, she came back to Ekweremadu’s seat, who was not present at plenary, after she had seconded the motion. She sat giddily in the deputy senate president’s seat, intermittently conversing with the Senate leader, Ali Ndume.
As events continue to unfold, the outcome of investigations into the matter by security agencies will unravel the mystery behind, and those who want Ekweremadu out of the way.
