ABUJA – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Suleiman Lasun has insisted he has no plan to resign from office.
This is even as an Abuja Federal High Court has declined to stop the police from its ongoing investigation of Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and others in relation to the alleged forgery of the 2015 Standing Rules of the Senate.
Pressure has been mounting on him to resign so as to pave way for Femi Gbajabiamila who is said to be the party’s preferred candidate.
Making the declaration yesterday, when members of his community under the aegis of Ilobu Development Union, Abuja branch paid him a courtesy visit, the Deputy a Speaker argued that he was elected by his colleagues and not appointed.
Lasun stressed that his people would be robbed, if he resigns and that it was an election that brought him to office and not appointment.
“Ilobu has been voting for progressives. My community is a big supporter of APC.
I am qualified to be the Deputy Speaker because my town contributed immensely to APC victory.
You can’t reap where you have not sown. 357 members of the House participated in my election and I scored 203 votes to emerge the Deputy Speaker and the election was televised live for the whole world to see.
I was elected into office and not appointed. It will be difficult for APC to say the condition for peace is for me to resign. As far as I am concern, Ilobu is benefiting from what it has contributed to APC”, he submitted.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Olaitan Ahmed cautioned those who are calling on the deputy speaker to resign not to stampede him out of office.
Meanwhile, Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to stop the police from its ongoing investigation of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and others in relation to the alleged forgery of the 2015 Standing Rules of the Senate.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole in a ruling yesterday, refused an ex-parte application filed by Senator Prince Gilbert Emeka Nnaji, with which he sought to among others, restrain the police from proceeding with the investigation and making public the report of the inquiry.
Nnaji had sought interim orders to restrain the defendants in the case – the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) – from continuing with the matter, pending the determination of his substantive suit.
The plaintiff is challenging the constitutionality of the investigation within the context of the doctrine of separation of power.
Justice Kolawole said he could not grant the prayer sought by the plaintiff at ex-parte stage when his court possesses the power to conduct a judicial review of the action complained about in the substantive suit.
He also refused the plaintiff’s request to abridge the time within which the defendants could respond.
Suleiman Lasun
