Chief Whip of the Senate, Ndume walks out on Senate President Akpabio, gives reason

Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume has given an explanation for his abrupt exit from the Senate chamber on Tuesday following a heated exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

During his speech in the session, Ndume alerted the legislators to what he saw as violations.

The senator from Borno South raised a point of order to bring “procedural infringements” to Akpabio’s attention.

After Akpabio cut off Ndume’s floor time, the senator walked out in a huff.

“when Senator Kawu Sumaila proposed a motion which he said was urgent on closing the border between Nigeria and Niger,” Ndume said in an interview with BBC Hausa.

He elaborated, saying, “Initially it was argued that the motion was not urgent, but the President of the Senate allowed him finish what he wanted to say.

“After hearing the motion, it was decided that it should be put on hold because of security concerns.”

The motion is significant, but it is not within the purview of the Nigerian Senate,” Ndume continued.

It was during his time as President of ECOWAS, and not as President of Nigeria, that the border was closed. This gives him the authority to speak up for us in official capacities.

I was unable to relay the message that the President of the United States needs to be involved in resolving this issue.

It was around prayer time, so I had to leave while this was going on. As a result, my departing was misunderstood by my coworkers and reinterpreted by the media.