Saraki’s Removal Can Crash Nigeria’s Democracy, Says Primate Ayodele

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

A Lagos-based Cleric, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele yesterday warned the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole that attempt to forcefully impeach Senator Bukola Saraki as the Sate President will damage the country’s democracy.

Ayodele, founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, also said the crisis rocking the National Assembly was needless, urging the federal lawmakers to stop scrambling for principal positions and initiate legislative policies that can make the country great.

Ayodele expressed grave concern about the legislative-executive crisis at an empowerment programme he organised in Ikere-Ekiti in memory of his late father, Elder Olalekan Ayodele, who passed on fifteen years ago.

At the empowerment programme, the cleric donated cash and foodstuff to hundreds of widows and orphans at the event which he said was a means of giving them succor and a sense of belonging.

He condemned attempt by some senators on the APC platform “to impeach Saraki for defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I had said nobody can remove Saraki. I do not know Saraki. I have not met Saraki. I do not know Akpabio.

“I am not interested in the issue of Saraki. I am not interested because I am not a politician. Who is that politician that is not corrupt and who is that politician that does not steal money? Saraki is one of the anointed persons in this country. I don’t see Atiku going too far.”

“I am not defending Saraki. But if Saraki is removed, PDP will sink and if PDP wants to move forward and Saraki having the ticket, PDP will win,” the cleric said.

He warned that Nigeria is on the brink of disintegration as the nation gears up for the 2019 general elections.

Ayodele warned that the ‘political coup’ being allegedly hatched by politicians on the raging National Assembly crisis may lead to the collapse of democracy in Nigeria, predicting that the 2019 general elections would be tougher than the 2015 polls.

He said he could foresee a storm ahead of next year’s polls, noting that the embattled senate president would win the presidential election if given the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He suggested the creation of a special ministry to cater for the need of the vulnerable segment of the society noting that government poverty alleviation schemes fail because they are politicized.

Ayodele also urged Ekiti State governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to listen to the people for him to succeed in his administration while asking him to carry the people along in his day-to-day running of government promising to be part of the people to checkmate the governor-elect when his regime takes off.

Commenting on the state of the nation, Ayodele said: “We need somebody to restructure this country; it is either we restructure or we disintegrate. The government in power hates the truth.”