Following what it described as “unguarded utterances” about Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, the National Democratic Front, NDF, on Monday called on the lawmaker representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, to quit from the National Assembly.
Condemning Adeyemi’s outburst, NDF said the Senate is a hallowed place of lawmaking and must be protected from misfits such as Adeyemi.
Recall that Adeyemi, in a scathing attack during plenary last week, described Ikpeazu and other leaders from Abia as drunkards.
However, in a statement by its Secretary-General, Dr Bolaji Abdulkadir, the NDF described Adeyemi’s statements as a reprehensive and gross abuse of the office that he holds.
The group also warned that Adeyemi’s failure to resign would draw the anger of the over thirty groups that are signatories to the NDF.
The statement reads in part, “The National Democratic Front condemns in the strongest terms, the uncomplimentary comment made by Smart Adeyemi about the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu. We state, unequivocally, that the utterances of Adeyemi are a clear case of abuse of power and disrespect for both the office of the Governor of Abia State and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We find Adeyemi’s comment as reprehensive, utterly, abuse of the office that he holds and, above all, the desecration of the hallowed chamber of the Senate and must be condemned by all lovers of democracy and its tenets.
“Even if Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Adeyemi were engaged in an argument, resorting to gutter language by the Senator is a clear case of one who’s losing in a debate.
“If not for the institution of the National Assembly, we wouldn’t have been surprised about the comments of Adeyemi. After all, it’s said: Like father, like son. If Adeyemi is the father of a known drug addict, no one needs a soothsayer to say that the son learned the act from his bloodthirsty father.
“The NDF, therefore, resolved that Smart Adeyemi should quit the Senate with immediate effect.
“Failure to adhere to this’ll draw the anger of the over thirty groups that are signatories to the NDF. A word is enough for the wise.”