Saraki Can Remain As Senate President, Irrespective Of His Party – Makarfi

Those calling on the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki to resign on account of his recent cross-carpeting from the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have no locus standi for their argument, according to a presidential hopeful, Ahmed Makarfi.

HE had thus advised such people to leave the embattled senate president alone.

Makarfi who was on a visit to the PDP secretariat in Minna, the Niger state capital, said going by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly “an election of one among equals based on voting irrespective of party affiliation”.

According to him, Saraki, as much as his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara were elected based on the provisions of the constitution and not based on party.

“The position of the presiding officers of the National Assembly, based on the constitution of Nigeria is an election of one among equals based on voting irrespective of party affiliation. The constitution said that the Senators are to elect among themselves, it did not say that it must be from a majority party.

“Positions tied to party affiliation are the positions like the majourity and minority leaders and Chief Whips along with their deputies. Therefore Senator Bukola Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu, and Dogara should be left alone because they are elected based on the provision of the constitution and their continued stay irrespective of the party they belong to is constitutional, it is lawful and it is democratic. ”