Senate President Bukola Saraki has said that he had no deal with opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the emergence of Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
Following the 2015 Legislative election, Saraki and Ekweremadu emerged President and Deputy Senate President of the Senate in a very controversial circumstance, which incensed the leadership of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
Saraki was unanimously voted by 57 senators present at the session, with the remaining 51 senators at the International Conference Centre waiting for a truce meeting reportedly called by the leadership of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari.
Many believed Saraki won the election following a power sharing deal he had with the PDP, which involves Ekweremadu becoming his deputy.
Ekweremadu defeated Ali Ndume of the APC to emerge the 8th Deputy Senate President
Saraki, while answering one of his followers denied the claim, saying that the APC senators who were supposed to be at the National Assembly were somewhere else when the election took place.
See the tweets below:
I did not do any deal with @OfficialPDPNig . I did not have to because even before they took group decision, 22 or them already endorsed me https://t.co/2bHjxAaDlQ
— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) May 1, 2017
I didn’t envisage some @APCNigeria members been absent from @NGRSenate especially when clerk already received a proclamation from President https://t.co/2bHjxAaDlQ
— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) May 1, 2017
If a team refused to turn up for a scheduled match & was consequently walked over, would it be fair to blame the team that turned up? https://t.co/2bHjxAaDlQ
— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) May 1, 2017
Those that made it possible for PDP to claim DSP position were those who decided to hold a meeting when senators ought to be in the chambers https://t.co/2bHjxAaDlQ
— Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki) May 1, 2017