Ike Ekweremadu: A political toughie

“An election cannot give a country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have dif­ferent names, but are as alike in their principals and aims as two peas in the same pod.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) Thirty-second President of the USA.

That said, when his de­tractors were discretely jubilating and pop­ping their Champaign in celebration for a downfall of a man, who was second in command in the Senate; a man they detest for an obvi­ous myopic and unparalleled selfish reasons, little did they know that what seemed like a scene in an action movie was brewing and being per­fected long before the Na­tional Assembly session. But it was a political chess match—a gamesmanship that had all the trappings of a movie that has all the necessary characters, in­cluding the villains and protagonists scheming to outdo one another with tactical superiority.

To the admirers of Ike Ekweremadu, who scoffed at the notion that the last day of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy President of the Senate was eminent, were cau­tiously optimistic that the elec­tion of the National Assembly officers would produce him as a substantive officer because of his antecedents, his leader­ship skills and his pragmatism. Secondly, they contended that the constitution of the country never prescribed anywhere that the ma­jority party should produce all the leaders of the National Assembly.

But in Nigeria where politics is a zero-sum game and the All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) mem­bers who were bent on tightly controlling power, the chances of Ekweremadu retaining his posi­tion started growing dimmer to the delight of Ike Ekweremadu’s enemies. Thus, winning the of­fice of the Deputy President of the Senate against the headwind of APC majority, would be a con­sequential feat for Ekweremadu, who had stealthily crafted an im­pressive pathway for political sur­vival.

As the Sun appeared to be breaking through the cloud, the strength of All Progressives Con­gress (APC) notwithstanding, the improbable crescendo of the election of the National Assembly leaders was the emergence of Sen­ator Bukola Saraki of Kwara State as the Senate President and Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara represent­ing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both Saraki, 51 and Dogara, 47 are members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), but did not receive their party’s nod to run for their respec­tive offices. Their elections are now creating ripples within APC. Also, during the process, Hon. Su­leiman Yusuf Lasun of Osun State was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

But what was more improb­able climax of the scene was the reelection of Senator Ike Ekwer­emadu as the Deputy President of the Senate against all odds. Indeed, Ekweremadu never lost hope in the system and in him­self; he worked to make it better. Since becoming a senator in 2003, I’ve followed the Deputy Senate President, Distinguished Sena­tor Ike Ekweremadu and he has carrie d his resp onsibilities w ith honor and grac e. Ekwerema du’s activities i n the upper chamber is remin iscent of how se nators in the United States do their job as well as attend to the need s of thei r const ituency as pa rt of their r esponsibility. In the deliberative body, Ekweremadu has demon­st rated legislative prowe ss with­out partisa n political antics. He has a chieve d legislat ive successes with principled, constructive, and pragmatic approach knowing t hat one has to possess the human and techn ical skill s requi red to be able to navigate the unchart ed Nige­ria’s p olitical terrain where t ribal politics impede progress a nd man­age deluge of e ccentr icit ies inher­ent in the senate.

So, when com mon sense and superior argu ment took over the National Assembly, the outcome of the leadership ele ction of the cha mbe rs beca me v ir t ually pre­dictable. With the outcome of the Deput y P resident of the Sen ate election, Ek weremadu demon­strated that he h ad a hu ge politi­cal capital to dispense rega rdless of his party. Billow ing in a cloud of confidence reposed in him by his col legues, Ekweremadu will not fail his fellow citizens; he wil l har ness and expend his politica l capital to effe ct cha nge that the common ma n can feel and touch th roughout Nigeria. Ekwe remadu , the most detribalized Nigerian, has focused mainly on n ational issues that would upli ft every Nigerian, as well as not losing sight on his feder al const ituency. Kendy Ovbiebo, who resides in Seattle, Washington once shared this with me about Ekweremadu: “You have always made us proud as a PDP leader,” referring to the principled leadership of Dr. Ike Ekweremadu. “Our blessings and support are always with you; may you continue to sail through all the obstacles and challenges that come your way as you triumph in success.” That was a profound statement attesting to the charac­ter of Ike Ekweremadu.

Ekweremadu, a political stayer, is truly a team player, who will definitely work well with Senator Saraki, the President of the Sen­ate.

Senator Olubukola Abuba­kar Saraki, former Governor of Kwara State (2003 to 2011), was first elected to the senate in 2011 as People’s Democratic Party (PDP), representing the Central Senatorial District of Kwara State. Saraki was reelected in office in March 2015 as the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) member. It is believed that he has the temer­ity and leadership skills to carry out his duties as the President of the Senate responsibly. Similarly,

Rt. Hon. Yakubu, a member of the Federal House of Representa­tives since 2007, has chaired and served on numerous House Com­mittees, gaining the necessary legislative skills and leadership experience to serve honorably as the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives.