Immediate Past, Senate Leader Ali Ndume has asked the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to always watch his back from now on.
In a subtle manner, Ndume cautioned that what happened to him could happen to Ekweremadu.
“This Senate is an institution we must protect and the only way to protect it is by obeying the rules”, suggesting that the manner of his removal was not in line with provisions of the law.
Ndume said “if it was okay to remove me; next time it could be the turn of Ekweremadu”, he said.
Ndume was removed as Senate Leader on Tuesday after his colleagues in his APC passed a vote of no confidence on him.
On Wednesday, Ndume came under order 43 not quite pleased with the manner of his removal which saw 38 of his colleagues in APC Caucus endorsing a vote of no confidence on him.
Even though Ndume accepts it eventually in “good faith”, he offered to set the record straight pointing out that he did not do anything wrong or at least not any to his knowledge to be treated the manner he was.
“It’s important to be given the chance to thank my colleagues to serve as Senate Leader.
As a senator I am not better than any of you here.
All of us are equal. I thank God for the courage I was able to carry out my work in the last one and a half years.
I thank my colleagues but I was not found wanting for anything that I know”, he said.
Ndume however hinted that he offered to resign three times for the sake of peace; maintaining that he did not become Senate Leader to lose the face of any of his colleagues in the Senate.
“I did not do anything to the best of my knowledge.
“Even if it I had lost the confidence of only 10 of you, I have no moral ground to lead you”, he said.
Responding, Ekweremadu was silent on Ndume’s subtle warning of a possible political danger that possibly lie ahead for him.
Instead, Ekweremadu congratulated Ndume for accepting the situation.
He commended his representation to the people of Borno South and urged him to give his support to the new man in charge, Ahmed Lawan.
Ekweremadu presided over Wednesday’s plenary in the absence of Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Ndume’s warning to him comes on a day when APC lawmakers make open overtures to Ekweremadu to dump his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pitch tent with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The first bait luring Ekweremadu to APC came from Senator Kabiru Marafa representing Zamfara Central when he stood up to adopt the votes and proceedings of the previous day.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu representing Nasrawa West swifty supported Marafa’s prayer asking the Deputy Senate President to jump ship.
Ekweremadu merely shrugged off APC tempting “carrot”.
Ekweremadu has been under severe pressure to relinquish his position to allow the ruling APC occupy the seat.
APC believes the seat of Deputy Senate President belongs it, convinced that Ekweremadu is occupying it illegally.
Ever since it lost the DSP seat in 2015 to the opposition, APC has not stopped pushing to regain the leadership seat and the latest overtures from APC lawmakers to Ekweremadu makes it difficult to dismiss Ndume’s fear of what could happen next.
