Life senator boast : ‘I was quoted out of context’ – Ekweremadu
By Steve Oko
The Deputy Senate President and Senator representing Enugu West senatorial district, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has denied a boast credited to him that if he wanted, he could remain a life senator.
Reports trending on social media have claimed that Ekweremadu while speaking at a forum by ‘Not Too Young To Run’ organised in Abuja allegedly made the boast.
But the Deputy Senate President on his facebook page denied ever making such a comment saying he is not given to boasting.
Ekweremadu accused his detractors of twisting and making political capital out his honest comment at the forum.
“Boasting is not in my character”, Ekweremadu said, while urging members of the public to ignore the said boastful remark invented by his detractors to blackmail him having run out of strategies.
The Deputy Senate President whose political popularity among his constituents has remained on the increase rather explained that he only advised youths with political ambition to believe in themselves and stay close to the people instead of banking on god fathers.
He insisted that by being rooted at the grassroots and relating very closely with their immediate constituencies will young people with political ambition be able to achieve their dreams.
Ekweremadu who restated his his commitment to the defense of democracy in Nigeria, counselled youths who have a calling in politics not to shy away from it.
Below is a full text of Ekweremadu’s statement obtained by Wawa News Global :
” I read news story by some online media misrepresenting me as boasting that I could be in the Senate forever if I wanted.
“However, such boastful attitude attributed to me is not in my character. I was only mentoring the youth that they needed to be rooted at the grassroots and relate closely with their immediate constituencies to achieve their political dreams, using myself as an example.
“My advice was taken out of context. I have always seized opportunities of meeting the youth and other aspiring politicians, who consult me on their political ambitions against the erroneous notion that they must have a godfather in Abuja or the party to succeed in politics.
“Much as I played a key role in ensuring that the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill succeeded and even wanted 18 years as age qualification to run for office, I have always advised my mentees that it is erroneous to hope to win elections relying only on the fact that they are young.
“I always advise them to start from somewhere, preferably the grassroots and remain with people even when elected. In my case, I served as Chairman of my age grade association at ten and served so many years as the President of my community’s town union before serving as the pioneer Chairman of my Local Government Area (LGA), etc.
“So, I used the opportunity of the public dialogue themed ‘Youth Candidacy and the Future of Nigeria Beyond 2019’ organised by the Not-Too-Young-To-Run movement to share my personal experience, reiterating that the secret of my political staying power lies in relating closely with my constituents, making myself accessible to them, and ensuring justice and equity in the distribution of opportunities and development projects.
“I said that so long as I continued on this path, my people would always want me to run, ready to re-elect me as many times as I am willing to present myself.
“This is a verifiable fact. This is despite the fact that my town, Mpu, is the smallest in my LGA, and my LGA is the least in Enugu West Senatorial. And that is the more reason I remain humble about it and most grateful to my people, who are my primary employers and above all to God to whom all power belongs, and whose grace has no doubt brought me this far.”
End
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