By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said yesterday that those working against him would surely fail, declaring that their efforts to use his service on Accounts and Committees of the Red Chamber to hound him out of office through blackmail had crumbled.

Saraki and Ekweremadu

A statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Uche Anichukwu, read: “ The  office of the deputy president of the Senate wishes to bring to the knowledge of the public some clandestine efforts by desperate political elements to publish false and defamatory information against the Office and person of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

“These elements are currently making desperate efforts, including scavenging through Senate accounts and Committees he has ever served on, with the sole aim of misrepresenting information, maligning, and running him out of office by hook or crook or force him to resign from office as the Deputy President of the Senate.

“The Deputy President of the Senate appreciates the principled stance of most media houses not to be used in this business of blackmail, falsehood, and cheap propaganda.

“Meanwhile, it will interest Nigerians to know that the Office has it on good authority that the elements behind this unscrupulous push are the same people whose recent staunch defence of bipartisan leadership in the legislature as rightly being consistent with the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the presidential system of government, and our history is in the public domain.

“The Deputy President of the Senate is ever committed to contributing his quota towards ensuring that the Federal Government of Nigeria provides good governance that caters for the wellbeing of the good people of Nigeria, for it remains the common and primary calling of all of those in government, irrespective of party affiliation.

“However, the Deputy President of the Senate also remains committed to the institution of the National Assembly and independence of the legislature, hence he will not allow himself to be intimidated or stampeded out of Office.

“While we advise patriotic Nigerians to be on the lookout for such misinformation and regard them as puerile propaganda that they are, we want to assure them that just like the phantom alleged forgery of Senate Standing Rules, this too will surely fail.”

In another development, yesterday, some protesters stormed  the National Assembly complex, calling on the Presidency not to victimise the Senate leadership.

The two groups, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo Youth Movement and Coalition of Civil Society Media Executives, COCMEP, with placards of various inscriptions, asked the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, not to resign.

The groups In a statement signed by the Coordinator, Nnadi Uche, noted that it was an act of corruption to use the anti-corruption war for party politics and political benefits.
“We condemn it in all it’s ramifications, but we will not sit down and allow anyone no matter how highly placed to derail the war,’’ he said.