Pro-Saraki senators insist PDP now majority in senate, to call for head count

Isa Misau and Rafiu Ibrahim, senators representing Bauchi central and Kwara south respectively, have warned against any move to impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki.

They said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers in the senate outnumber those of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Saraki left the APC for PDP after the ruling party lost 15 of its members in the upper legislative chamber.

The leadership of the ruling party subsequently asked him to resign, having joined a “minority” party.

Abu Ibrahim, senator representing Katsina south, had said: “Let him be gentleman enough and resign as senate president. If he does not, we will never have peace in that senate because it is absolutely clear that APC has majority to produce the leadership.”

Reacting via a joint statement on Saturday, Misau and Ibrahim said the Katsina senator’s threat “has given us an insight into what they are planning and we will be ready for them”.

“His statements showed why one of them led thugs to disrupt the proceeding of the senate, steal the mace, the symbol of authority of the legislature, and yet there is no consequence,” they said.

“APC should note that they are now the minority party. PDP has more members. When we resume, if they push us, we will move for a head count of members and change some of our principal officers to reflect party strength.

“Today, by the list paraded by APC themselves, they have only 48 Senators and PDP has 54, APGA has 2 and ADC has 2. There are two vacancies. That is the distribution in the senate. Let them continue to deceive themselves.

“We will use our strength to defend the position of the present leadership of the senate.  We urge him and his colleagues to know that if they tried anything illegal and indecent, we will resist it through legal means.”