The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
has warned those threatening to harm the deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, to desist from doing so or face the consequences.
In a statement issued yesterday by its secretary general, Dr
Joe Nwaorgu, and made available to Daily Sun, the group said the Igbo people
were fully prepared to defend Ekweremadu from any attempt to harm him.
Nwaorgu said: “Anybody threatening to harm Ekweremadu on
account of the position he currently occupies should be ready to face the
consequences as he enjoys the strong support of his people who are ready to
defend him anytime and any day.
“It was a well known fact that Ndigbo voted massively for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election and they are ready to stand by those they elected to represent them at various levels of government.
“We are watching what is happening at the national level closely and we want to let the world know that we are solidly behind our son, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. I am saying it loud and clear that Senator Ekweremadu, who was duly elected by his colleague as deputy president of the Senate, is owned by a people and his people, Ndigbo are behind him.”
Ekweremadu has been under attack over allegations of
altering the Senate rules on processes of election of presiding officers of the
upper legislative chamber. Also, in a separate statement signed by its media director,
Acho Orabuchi, the World Igbo Congress (WIC), said the Ndigbo in the Diaspora
were against the intimidation, blackmail, threat to life and freedom, being
used to force Ekweremadu to resign his position as deputy Senate President.
Orabuchi said:
“Senator Ike Ekweremadu shall not resign a
position he clearly and legally won in a fair and free election setting, an
election in which his peers freely participated and overwhelmingly elected him
based on his impeccable credentials and unparalleled antecedents. There is no
provision in the Nigerian Constitution that states a minority member will not
be elected a principal officer in the Senate.”
Also speaking, an Enugu elder statesman, Vita Abba, advised the
members of the APC to embrace the emergence of Ekweremadu in the true spirit of
democracy.
These warnings followed recent media reports alerting
threats on the life of Ekweremadu and alleged plans to arrest him.
Earlier, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa had said that the plot by the
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to remove Ekweremadu, will end in
futility.
No comments