I helped you with N5m in your formative years; stop victimising PDP - Ekweremadu warns APC

macfranc007 September 03, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Onyirioha Nnamdi

- The deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has asked the APC to stop muzzling the PDP

- Ekweremadu said that the APC should remember how he helped them with N5 million during their formative years back in 2014

- He insisted that a multiparty system and an opposition are part of what add beauty to any democracy

Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy president of the Senate, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against what he described as the muzzling of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that a multiparty system and opposition are part of what beautifies democracy.

The deputy Senate president, remembering how he assisted the APC with the sum of N5 million during its formative years in 2014, to help expand the political space, The Sun reports.

Ekweremadu stated that the APC would not have been victorious in the 2015 presidential election if the PDP and former President Goodluck Jonathan been repressive.

He said this after he has accepted to run for the Enugu west senatorial district ahead of the 2019 general polls. Ekweremadu made this revelation when members of the district, headed by its president, Ohaneze Ndigbo, presented him with the PDP nomination form, which they purchased for him. insisting that he must return to the Senate in 2019 to continue with his good works.

Ekweremadu said: “The beauty of democracy is the enlargement of the political space in which everybody is free to participate, bring and exchange ideas, and disagree in order to agree. But we are not seeing that today.

“I will tell you something that is going to shock you. In 2014 when APC started, they wanted to register members in Enugu State. Senator Chris Ngige called me and said they were having problem registering members in Enugu State, and asked if I could help them. I was the Deputy President of the Senate in the PDP, but I gave them N5 million. Ngige is still my witness.

“During that 2015 election, one lady came to me and said she wanted to run against me on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and she needed my support. I said okay, I will start by paying for your nomination form because I believe every party must be given a chance. She lost the election, but I later helped to secure a political position for her.

“Just yesterday, I also got a call from a man who introduced himself as an engineer from Achi, but lives in Jigawa. He later came with his family to tell me that he wanted to run for the Senate in Enugu West. I congratulated him and offered to help purchase his nomination form. But he told me he had already bought his form. He was surprised when I offered to buy form for him. As far as I am concerned, power belongs to God.

“We should not try to reduce the political space. We must allow people to participate. You can disagree with people, but you must not try to harass them with security agencies and the rest. That is bringing us a lot of embarrassment in the international community.”

Concerning the appeal by his people for him to return to the Senate in 2019, Ekwermadu said their visit came at a time he was still pondering his next line of actions.

Ekweremadu stated: “A Few weeks ago, I reflected on my past engagements with the people of Enugu West and I was satisfied that, by the grace of God, we were able to make so many improvements in the lives of our people.

“I also tried to reflect on my present political trials, persecution and harassment, but I said it could only happen because God allowed it. I believe that God will take care of it and we will triumph.

“One option is to come back to you in Enugu and run my Foundation, which will give me opportunity to mentor young men and women in leadership. The second is probably to go to a university and take a fulltime academic job and also try to mentor young people in school.

“But my dilemma there is: what happens to all of you that have been my partners in the politics? I concluded that we would collectively decide the next move.

“Today, you have spoken, and since you are my employers, I have no choice than to humbly accept to run for the Senate again.”

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Presenting the nomination form to Ekweremadu on behalf of the people of the district the president of Ohaneze Ndigbo, state chapter, Alex Ogbonnia as well as the national president, Enugu west peoples Assembly, called on the Igbo to return their first 11, including the deputy Senate president.

Ogbonnia said: “Representation must have to deal with relationship with the grassroots and ability to interface with the national authorities in order to attract dividends to the people and we have been very lucky with the representation of Senator Ike Ekweremadu.”

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that Ekweremadu was in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) where he was being interrogated.

NAIJ.com gathered that Ekweremadu appeared at the anti-graft agency office on Tuesday, July 31, in the morning.

A source said: “He is currently at the interrogation room. We have some questions for him bordering on corruption. But we do not know yet when he would be released, we will know this by 5pm.”

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