Saraki must quit, says Omo-Agege

DELTA Central Senator Ovie Omo-Agege said yesterday that Senate President Bukola Saraki should be ready to vacate office.

Omo-Agege told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that Saraki, who on July 31, defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lacks the moral right to continue leading the Senate.

He said: “Our demand has not changed, in fact, that demand has been accentuated by the directive of the APC national leadership.

“We have all been enjoined as APC senators at a slightest opportunity to remove Saraki and once we are provided with that slightest opportunity, we will remove him and he knows that.

“Absolutely, he knows he cannot be; we are not shying away from that. Our position has always been consistent.

“This is not new neither is it news. We have made that clear, very clearly in the past.

“Therefore, the position of Ovie Omo-Agege has the position of APC as a party.”

On whether the members, who were aggrieved by the outcome of the primaries at various states might affect their plan, the senator said: “Well, that is something that we will need to address when we return on Tuesday.

“We will take an audit of where we are in terms of the numbers, in terms of those who are happy and those who are not happy.

“But you should understand one thing, just as you have people who are disgruntled in APC, you also have others who are disgruntled in PDP.”

When asked if the aggrieved group had the number to remove Saraki, Omo-Agege said: ”of course, we have always had the number. We have the number.”

On whether defection of members could affect their plan, he responded thus: ”Like I am telling you, as people are leaving APC to PDP, people are leaving PDP to APC.”

He said as soon as the APC lawmakers in the red chamber have the number, the deed would be done.

“Also yesterday The Presidency welcomed back the Senate and the House of Representatives members as they resume for legislative work today.

Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), said: “Let me congratulate the Senate President, the Speakers, all presiding and principal officers and all the distinguished senators and honourable members of the House for a well-deserved annual legislative vacation and welcome them back to work.

“Let them please appreciate that they are senators and honourable members of the National Assembly and the constitution entrusts the duty on then and they should please exercise this duty with the greatest show of patriotism.”

He reminded the lawmakers of the request by President Muhammadu Buhari on the Supplementary Budget to provide for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other sources of funding which was still before them.