The crisis rocking the National Assembly especially among Senators elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress is far from over if threats by the Senate Unity Forum on Friday to disrupt plenary is anything to go by.
The Senate is presently on recess till July 28.
The SUF, which comprises of Senators loyal to Senator Ahmad Lawan, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, however, promised to let peace reign in the Red Chamber only if the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, reverses the appointments of the principal officers.
The statement issued by their spokesperson, Senator Kabir Marafa, pointed out that the ranking rule was violated in the appointment of the presiding officers and this was in spite of the fact that the APC leadership had properly guided the presiding officers by nominating ranking senators for the leadership positions.
Shortly before going on recess last month, the Senate President announced the appointment of Ali Ndume and Bala Na’Allah as the choice of the Northeast and Northwest caucuses for the Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader positions respectively.
But the Forum reiterated that both men are not qualified to hold office by effect of the ranking rule and also insisted that the rules used to inaugurate the Eighth Senate were forged.
Marafa said: “Can we continue to operate the highest legislative chamber of the land using forged standing orders and violate the provisions of even the forged one? When did Nigeria descend this low?
He further said, “They violated Rule 3 (2) to appoint both Senators Ali Ndume and Bala Ibn Na’Allah as leader and deputy leader of the Senate and now we hear another alleged absurdity that Senator Godswill Akpabio may emerge as the senate minority leader”.
The Forum alleged that the former Akwa Ibom Governor was being favoured contrary to the provisions of order 3 (2), pointing out that Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe, James Manager, George Sekibo, Emmanuel Paulker, Solomon Bwacha, Sonni Ogbuoji, Andy Uba, Uche Ekwunife, and Owan Enoh, among others, should not be in the Senate while a fresher like Akpabio becomes their leader.
He said, “I swear to God, we will not allow this impunity to stand and a fresh one to be added. By the way, won’t somebody ask him, who constituted these caucuses they are talking about?
“Who is the chairman or leader of North-West caucus for example? Who is the secretary? If there is, who appointed or elected them, where and using which law?”
The Unity Forum equally queried why Saraki read names sent to him by the caucuses and ignored that sent to him by the APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.
“We all know political parties, their leadership and how the leardership emerged, we know the supremacy of the political party as enshrined in section 65 (2) (b). We want to know where the supremacy of any caucus is enshrined”, he further queried.
Marafa urged the Senate President to abide by Order One of the Senate Standing Orders and threatened that, upon resumption of plenary on July 28, he may be compelled to abide by that order.
Order one, which spells out the general rules for conduct of business in the Senate reads: “The proceedings in the Senate and in all committees of the Senate shall be conducted in accordance with the following standing orders… (b) In all cases not provided for hereinafter, or by sessional or other Orders or practice of the Senate, the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its own procedure”.
Marafa said: “It could be they want the stalemate in the Eighth Senate to continue looking at how they are running the place. They better shut it permanently than to reconvene and attempt to run it without respecting the rules. The Senate President should please, read order one…He is being misled because Nigeria has never been this bad…”
Addressing the Senate President, Marafa threatened that “We will force you on resumption, to read order one and proceed by its provision unless you want to reduce the red chamber to a jungle where everybody will do what he or she likes to do and nobody can call anybody to order.
“Sir, you are the custodian and greatest beneciary of the content of that red book; if you choose to, violate it… We will help you to bring yourself down Insha Allah.
“Finally, I want ask, where are all the good people of this country? Where is our own Chief Olusegun Obasanjo? Where is Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Col Umar Dangiwa, Prof. Wole Soyinka, my friend, Femi Falana, Yadudu, Chief Audu Ogbeh…Won’t they talk before it gets messier?”
Marafa contended that all the Unity Forum wants the Senate President to do is to obey the rules and the party.
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