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The Peoples Democratic Party has denied reports that it was already looking for a senator from the opposition party to replace Saraki, who is currently under pressure to resign from office following his trial for false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT).
The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress on Saturday demanded Saraki’s resignation on moral grounds consequent upon his trial at the CCT.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday, said the party still believed that the trial of Saraki was political and that the PDP would not think of abandoning the Senate president until it sees the merit of the case.
Metuh said, “We have no candidate for the office of the Senate President, because we have a fit person occupying the position for now.
“We are behind him and we can’t abandon him just because he is undergoing trial. Anybody can be put on trial, but the question we should ask is whether the trial is political or not.
“Does the trial have merit? When we see the merit of the case, we will take position. But for now, there is nothing like that.”
Since Saraki’s arraignment before the CCT, there had been speculations that the PDP, which produced Saraki’s deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, had been scheming to replace him with one of its senators.
Among those being touted as possible replacements for Saraki are Ekweremadu; a former Senate President, David Mark; and a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio.
Metuh said the PDP was still of the opinion that Saraki was being prosecuted because of his political belief.
His words: “We are not even thinking of replacement for Saraki for now. The National Assembly is a separate arm of the government just like the judiciary and the executive.
“Is anyone thinking that there would be leadership change in the executive and the judiciary?
“Are they not independent of the other? What we are interested in is that all the three arms of government must be allowed to function independently of the other. We are saying there shouldn’t be any interference.”