“When he said that it’s a crown, that the crown belongs to APC; I want to educate and inform him that the Senate Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not a title.”
Senator Dino Melaye is confident that nobody can impeach the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
The lawmaker who represents Kogi West district said this during his appearance on Channels Television’s flagship political programme, Sunday Politics.
“Senate President Bukola Saraki will be there for four years,” he stated. “I want to assure you that they can’t and will never have the number to remove the Senate President.”
Senator Melaye also warned that the lawmakers in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly would resist any attempt to unseat the Senate President through “crooked means”.
He made the assertion days after the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, called for the impeachment of the Senate President.
The lawmaker faulted the APC National Chairman for making such statement, describing the call for Saraki’s resignation as a mere noise making.
He explained that the seat of the President of the Senate was not one that can be passed from one person to another, while due procedures must be followed to unseat the occupant.
Melaye said, “Unfortunately, Adams Oshiomhole as an individual has no vote either to keep Saraki in office or get him impeached.
“When he said that it’s a crown, that the crown belongs to APC; I want to educate and inform him that the Senate Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not a title.”
“It is not hereditary, you don’t beget it. it is for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It does not belong to a political party, it does not belong to a family, it is not a kingship or an emperor type of thing,” he added.
On Friday, Mr Oshiomhole urged APC senators to explore legal means for the Senate President’s impeachment following his defection from the ruling party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July.
The APC National Chairman, who had initially said it was expected that the Senate President would resign his position after defecting, accused Saraki of anti-party activities while in the ruling party.
He had also claimed that the lawmaker delayed the passage of the 2018 budget intentionally, to frustrate the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to develop critical infrastructure in the country.
