 |
| Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu |
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike
Ekweremadu, has denied calling for military intervention in the affairs of
Nigeria.
Ekweremadu said this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, when
Governor Seriake Dickson hosted him and other African lawmakers attending the
74th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) Executive Committee
to a dinner, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uche
Anichukwu.
He maintained that his comments on the floor of
the Senate, though “unambiguously in defence of democracy,” were either being
twisted or misconstrued by some persons.
While reinstating his respect for the
Nigerian Armed Forces, Ekweremadu stated that comments made by lawmakers in the
course of their duty should be situated within the proper context before any
form of reaction.
He added that parliamentarians had a duty to
continue to defend democracy in the country, making him to clearly caution
fellow politicians against the mistakes of the past, which inevitably led to
the abrupt end of the previous republics.
Ekweremadu said, “Of course, some people took it
out of context and said I was calling for a military coup. I never called for a
military coup. I never said the military was planning any coup. Even the
military’s statement admitted that my statement was only cautionary and that we
were sincere. But they went as far as saying that the international community
should ignore my words of caution.”
The Deputy Senate President added, “I hold
the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces in high regard. They have defended our
democracy, our people and have acquitted themselves creditably. If they need
anything now, it is encouragement because this is not the best of times for
them. But we do hope that when parliamentarians make statements, they (the
military) should be able to know exactly what they said before reacting so that
we don’t overheat the system.”
Post A Comment: