Senator challenges Mark on procedure

[DT]

There was tension yesterday in the Senate when Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (ACN, Oyo South) challenged Senate President David Mark on the procedure of hearing a petition against Senator Ajayi Boroffice (ACN, Ondo North).  

Boroffice had dumped the Labour Party (LP) which sponsored him to the Senate in 2011 for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).  

The LP and the Ondo State House of Assembly recently petitioned the Senate on the defection asking for Borrofice's seat to be declared vacant.

The national leadership of the ACN had accused Mark of arm-twisting the tactics to sack Boroffice, while Mark through his media aide, Kola Ologbondiyan said based on a response by INEC on the matter, Boroffice could not be recognised as an ACN senator.

But yesterday after Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) moved that the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics that investigated the matter be laid, Senator Lanlehin challenged  the 'procedural error' saying it was wrong to lay the report as the petition was never brought to the Senate which was supposedly referred to the committee.

Lanlehin who quoted order 96 of the Senate Standing Rules to support his argument said the report "cannot and must not be laid".

Mark disagreed with the senator's position saying the report be laid "because I got the petition and referred it to the committee because it affects a senator."

Tension heightened when Lanlehin declined Mark's order to second the motion that the report be laid.  The senator stood his ground, saying he did not believe in the existence of the report.

"I don't think you have the right not to second the motion because the report is not being discussed yet. This argument is unnecessary. You're not asked to support the content of the report, but its laying," Mark said.

Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo West) eventually seconded the motion after paving way for committee chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure (LP, Ondo) to lay the report.



Daily Trust