Group Asks Ekweremadu To ‘Step Aside’ As Deputy Senate President

A Southeast pressure group has asked Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to “step aside” to allow another senator from the zone replace him.

The African League Organisation (ALO), which demanded Ekweremadu’s resignation while addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, alleged that as Deputy Senate President in the past eight years, he had been passive as no tangible progress had been made in the Southeast that could be linked to his name.

The group said it had written Ekweremadu to quit.

The letter reads: “The only noble way forward is that you should immediately step aside for one out of the remaining 14 distinguished senators from the five states that make up our zone to immediately step in to accomplish our Southeast dreams”.

The letter was signed by Chief Kingsley Okafor of National Progressive Coalition, Mazi Sunny Chijioke of Southeast Professionals in Commerce, Sir Okay Nwaneri of Ibos in Politics, Ike Ikemefuama of Ibos in the Diaspora and Chief Anya Onyeije of African League Organisation.

Copies of the letter were forwarded to the President General, Ohanaeze-Ndi-Igbo, the Chairman, Southeast Council of Traditional Rulers, all Southeast governors and senators.

The group hinged its call for Ekweremadu’s resignation on his alleged failure to use the position to advance the course of the Igbos for eight years.

They said: 

“We are deeply worried that while our area has been sidelined and unrepresented under your leadership as the Deputy Senate President for these eight years under review, you on 9th June, 2015 assumed the same position in the 8th Senate may be for another period of four dark years. God forbid”.

ALO noted that despite the Southeast zone producing the deputy senate president in the person of Ekweremadu the last eight years, all that Igbo youths had gotten was unemployment, poverty and stress.

The letter further reads: 

“As a leader in the Senate occupying the number two seat and Chairman, Senate Committee on States Creation, with all emoluments, entitlements and paraphernalia of the exalted office pencilled for the Southeastern zone, we expect total protection, representation on the scheme of things concerning us all".

“You failed to mobilise other 14 senators from Southeast Zone and other senators from other geo-political zones to support the Southeast cause. During this period, senators from other zones ordinarily could not have led or championed our cause without your leadership.

“Unfortunately, our zone with its numerous and peculiar problems is sidelined, marginalised and abandoned to its own faith not by the Federal Government but by its own due to lack of leadership.

“The direct effect is that our area is left unrepresented by leaders like you who ride on their back to stupendous wealth with all accolades of great life, including national honours and uncountable number of chieftaincy titles within this period”.

[informationng]