TheCable

Controversial Buruji Kashamu of Ogun east senatorial district on Tuesday attended the inauguration of the 8th assembly.

He performed his first legislative duty by participating in the election of the deputy senate president.

As he stepped forward to cast his vote, his colleagues cheered and clapped for him, while cameraman jostled to take photos of him.

Kashamu has been embroiled in a battle with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the last few weeks.

The anti-narcotic agency laid a siege on his Lagos residence for six days in a bid to extradite him to the United States (US) to face charges for alleged drug trafficking.

He eventually got a court injunction which restrained any security agency from arresting him.

Kashamu accused Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, of masterminding his travails, claiming that one Koye Ijaduoye, a chieftain of the PDP, told him that Obasanjo was conniving with some security officials to arrest and transport him to the US in a private plane.

Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP, who has been the deputy senate president since 2007, and Ali Ndume of APC were nominated for the position of deputy senate president; Ekweremadu defeated Ndume to retain his position after polling 54 out of the 75 votes that were cast.