I won’t step down for Gabriel Suswam in Benue senatorial poll, says Gemade
• Borno students endorse Shettima
SENATOR Barnabas Gemade has declared that he will not step down for Dr. Gabriel Suswan to contest the slot of Benue North East Senatorial district.
He made the clarification at the weekend in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
This followed rumour that he had agreed to step down to allow his son to contest for the governorship seat.
He said: “How does my son’s governorship ambition come into a matter like that? My son is not a politician, he is a very close friend of Suswam, as they have been together for a very long time.”
“As far as stepping down for Suswam is concerned, I am not surprised about all postings in the social media on the matter.”
The ex- National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged those making the insinuation to note that: “Incumbents are the people regarded as owners of positions, while those who seek the positions come behind them.
“So, whoever wants this senate seat should do all that is required to canvass for the position, and ask the people to support them, rather than asking someone to step down.”
Gemade said he doesn’t have a senate seat to give to anybody, adding that his seat belongs to the people, who can take it back or ask him to hand it over to someone else.
On alleged gang up by members of the All Progressives congress (APC) to impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki, he said the plot would fail because it is a wild goose chase.
He explained that the APC Senators lost out in the battle to oust Saraki, hence they embarked on illegal means of barricading states and national assemblies to force things to be done.
He commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for his intervention in the siege to the National Assembly by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Gemade lamented that the Federal Government has been unable to guarantee the safety of lives and property, lamenting that poverty has become so pervasive that about 87 million Nigerians are very poor.
Meanwhile, over 1.5 million members of the Nigerian Union of
Borno State Students (NUBOSS) have endorsed Governor Kashim Shettima to represent the state in the Central Senatorial District in 2019.
President of NUBOSS, Mohammed Alkali, said the endorsement followed his excellent performance in the education sector.
The students made the endorsement during the presentation of merit awards to Speaker of state House of Assembly, Abdulkareem Lawan, and others for their contribution to the education sector.