Ekweremadu's ride in the storm

The contraption that produced the Saraki-Ekweremadu tango in the Senate appears to have been sealed and delivered. But echoes from the marriage, contracted on the altar of political expediency, may continue to reverberate in a long time to come. Assistant Editor, GBADE OGUNWALE writes.

Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu has, over the years, grown from the erstwhile rookie in 2003 when he first got elected to the upper legislative chamber to represent the Enugu West senatorial district. The turbulence and instability in the leadership of the Fourth National Assembly between 1999 and 2003 almost thrusted him into the exalted seat of the Senate President. That was when the then Senate President, Aldolphus Wabara was removed in 2005.

The Presidency, under the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had settled for Ekweremadu as a replacement for Wabara. Leading the Presidency team was Chief Tony Anenih whose duty it was to ensure that Obasanjo’s choice of Ekweremadu carried the day. However, Anenih’s team met a stiff opposition from the senators, led by the then Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu. Having apparently had enough of Obasanjo-imposed Senate Presidents who were eventually pulled down by the same forces in the Presidency, the senators decided to call Obasanjo’s bluff.

Subtle threats issued by Anenih on Obasanjo’s behalf failed to sway the “recalcitrant” senators. They had told Anenih in no unmistakable terms that they were going to pick a Senate President of their own. They dumped Ekweremadu and settled for Chief Ken Nnamani, to the consternation of Obasanjo and his minions. That was how Ekweremadu missed the chance to become the Senate President at the time.

He however regained his groove in 2007 when he became the Deputy Senate President after securing re-election. He came back to reclaim the seat in 2011 and was able to retain it till the end of the Seventh Senate that expired in June 2015.

Another opportunity came his way at the June 9, 2015 inauguration of the National Assembly where his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) failed to secure majority seats in the upper legislative chamber. The crevices created by the wrangling among senators of the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) in the race for the Senate Presidency provided Ekweremadu the much desired opportunity to try his luck once again. Taking advantage of the crisis in the APC camp and the inordinate ambition of one of the contestants to become the Senate President, Ekweremadu had mobilised the machinery of the PDP for his own ambition. He found a willing ally in Senator Bukola Saraki who was willing to give his right arm to clinch the seat.

Cashing in on Saraki’s desperation, the PDP had offered the Kwara strongman the support of its entire 49 senators. But the backing was not free of charge. In exchange, the opposition PDP had demanded to pair Ekweremadu with Saraki to seal the deal. The deal was too tempting for Saraki to resist. And with a handful of the APC senators in his camp, in addition to 49 from the PDP, Saraki was able to swing the balance in his favour, with Ekweremadu in the tag. As events turned out, no fewer than 51 senators of the APC were outside the National Assembly complex waiting for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari. With all the PDP senators present at the election venue, Ekweremadu got elected as Deputy President of the Senate. He got five extra votes from APC senators to add to PDP’s 49. The rest, they say, is history.

A section of the public however said while the cap fits Ekweremadu, it is not necessarily befitting, considering the manner he procured the deal. Others argue that there was no way the PDP with its 49 senators against APC’s 60 could have given away the position without a reward. “It would have been an irreparable loss for the PDP to concede the two seats. It’s heartwarming that the PDP did not allow the opportunity to slip by. It’s politics and every political party worth its name must be able to play the game at critical moments. You may call it political iniquity if you like, but it’s a clear case of political brinkmanship”, a commentator had said.

Be it as it may, Ekweremadu is currently fighting the battle of his life after it emerged he allegedly smuggled a clause into the Senate standing rules to facilitate the emergence of Saraki as Senate President and his own re-emergence as the Deputy Senate President. Some aggrieved APC senators petitioned the police authorities, calling for investigation of the alleged involvement of the Deputy Senate President in the matter. Ekweremadu is currently being investigated by the police and may have to face the music if found culpable. The question on the lips of many for now is how long he can ride the storm.

Credit: Nation Newspapers