Ekeremadu under fire over coup comment

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has come under severe attack over his comment on the possibility of a military intervention in the country with supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of Buhari Media Support Group asking him to withdraw the statement and apologize to the Nigerians.

The Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance(APDA) also described the statement as shocking and regrettable, while asking the military to disregard it as well. 

In a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja, the Buhari Media Support Group said Ekweremadu must withdraw the coup statement he made on the floor of the Senate, as well as apologize to Nigerians for that “most unfortunate statement”.

The Group (BMSG) expressed disappointment over comments made by Senator Ekweremadu during deliberations in the red chamber that coup is possible in the current political dispensation on account of what the Senate considered to be a threat to democracy in Kogi State.

The statement signed by Coordinator, Austin Braimoh and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, the group said it wasdisturbed that a Senator of the Federal Republic would contemplate a coup plot in Nigeria after the country has witnessed almost nineteen years of unbroken democracy. 

The group said that “His reference to a coup plot in this dispensation is highly disappointing and clearly appears as an instigation. Definitely his intention while making this comment is suspicious and unpatriotic.

“As a lawmaker and second in command at the nation’s highest law-making body, we expect Senator Ekweremadu to always exercise restraint in his utterances in order to uphold the virtues required of his high office. As someone occupying a high office in the country, it is expected that the stability and progress of the country will be uppermost in his mind.

“We advise Senator Ekweremadu and the Senate to stop equating the inability of politicians to adhere to democratic principles as putting the nation’s democracy in danger. It is indeed strange that the Senate, rather than focusing on its law-making responsibilities, is delving into states’ matters.

“We make bold to say that if indeed the country’s democracy is under threat as Senator Ekweremadu tried to make us believe, then it is an indictment on him as one of the leaders of the Senate, and he should stop passing the buck”.

Also in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Tosin Adeyanju, the APDA said politicians must be mindful of their utterances and must be patient and allow the current democracy mature

The statement said “Our democracy is evolving and we all must be patient to see it mature to a stage that  will be the envy of all. No doubt we are still far from  where we should be as a nation, but we are moving towards it and all stakeholders in the Nigeria project must be part of this journey of nation building and not be involved in destroying our hard earned democracy.

“We are aware of the challenges being  faced by Nigerians but  that those challenges   are surmountable if we all unite towards nation building and contribute our quota at any area of endeavour   we may find ourselves.

 “We should all remember that we have no other country than Nigeria and we must do things that promote unity and prosperity of the country at all times. Our democracy should be protected and strengthened by all citizens of country because it is the only vehicle that will take us to our prosperity”. 

The party appealed to the National Assembly to desist from instigating the military to truncate our nascent  democracy.