For peace to reign in the Senate, Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, must resign his position, Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, has said.
Ibrahim also said that 30 members of the upper chamber can resolve to reconvene the Senate at any time as allowed by the rules of the chamber.
The Katsina south senator spoke to reporters in Abuja following the defection of the Senate President, Saraki from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ibrahim who is also Chairman, Board of National Committee for Buhari Support Group, noted that although it is commendable Saraki left the party, he should take the path of honour and go the whole hog to resign his position as Senate President.
He noted that if Saraki failed to resign his Senate President position, the Senate will never know peace.
Their resolve that Saraki must resign his position, he said, is based on convention that the party the produces majority should also produce the leadership.
The lawmaker vowed that APC senators would not allow โa renegadeโ as their leader in the Senate.
Ibrahim said, โWell, I think it is commendable that he has left the party. He has chosen the path of survival because it is the issue of political survival not any thing for Nigeria.
โBut next is for him to resign as Senate President because by all conventions all over the world the majority party produces the leadership; Senate President, the majority leader and others.
โAgain, let him be gentleman enough and resign as Senate President.
โIf he doesnโt (resign) we will never have peace in that Senate because it is absolutely clear that APC has majority to produce the leadership.
โI hear the PDP claiming majority but it is crystal clear that APC has majority. We will have more members. We will have elections. We will have the two members. We also have some alliance with APGA. It is clear that APC has majority.
โAPC with majority should produce the leadership in the Senate. 49 cannot produce the leadership.
โSaraki should go the whole hog and resign as Senate President.โ
On the allegation that some senators attempted to break into the Senate chamber on Wednesday to reconvene plenary he said;
โHow do you break into the chamber? If we like we can reconvene legally because it is legal for us to reconvene. We donโt need to break into the chamber when we have the number. I will never subscribe to that.
โWe can reconvene, the rules are there that if we are up to 30 we can reconvene. Why should we break into the chamber when we can reconvene legally and do what we want to do.
โIt is legal. I donโt see why anybody should contemplate that we can break into the chamber.
โI donโt know about it and even if I know about it I will say it is unwise.
โLike I said, the rules are there that if we are 30 we can reconvene and do what we want to do.
โIf the leadership does not ask for peace, it will not get peace. Peace is a function of leadership.
โI have been in the Senate for about four times. I canโt allow anybody to manipulate me. I canโt take it.
โNobody was elected as Senate President. We all came here as Senators. So we have equal footing. We gave you leadership. If you fail to give us the right leadership and if majority of us donโt want you any more, you have to leave.
โSaraki was elected by us. At any time majority of us say he should go he has to go.
On the effect of the gale of defections hitting the APC he said;
โThere are some losses that will give you sleepless night. There are others that will not give you sleepless night. We have made out calculation, I am confident that that we will not lose.
โFor the past two years, Saraki has undermined the government.
โHe has allowed frivolous motions to attack the President and the government. His continued stay as Senate President does not augur well for the APC government.
โSomebody in the same party and the same government he has never seen any thing good in the President.โ
Asked if it is only change of leadership that will bring peace to the Senate he said;
โHow can we 53 allow a renegade to control us? No, we cannot allow that.โ
