Saturday, 18 July 2015

Senate Crisis: Reverse Principal Officers’ appointment -- SUF Tells Saraki

Senator Bokola Saraki  and Ahmad Lawan

 Senator Bokola Saraki  and Ahmad Lawan


SENATORS loyal to Senator Ahmed Lawan operating under the aegis, Senators’ Unity Forum, SUF have threatened to disrupt the activities of the red Chambers when the lawmakers resume plenary if Senate President Bukola Saraki fails to reverse the appointment of the principal officers.

The group has also called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Common Wealth Secretary- General, Emeka Anyaoku; Nobel Laurate, Professor Wole Soyinka; former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Audu Ogbeh; Ex- governor of Kaduna State, Col. Dangiwa Umar; and Femi Falana, SAN to as a matter of urgency intervene in the Senate unfolding imbrioglio before the nation’s parliament would be in crisis.

The senators who also threatened to cause a stalemate in the chamber on resumption if the Senate President Saraki did not address the issue of alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order 2015, said, “Can we continue to operate the highest legislative chamber of the land using forged standing order and violating the provisions of even the forged one? When did Nigeria descend this low?”
The senators, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by their spokesperson, Senator Kabir Marafa,

Zamfara Central stressed that the ranking rule was being violated in the appointment of presiding officers despite the fact that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress had properly guided the presiding officers by nominating ranking senators for the leadership positions.
The SUF, however lamented that Saraki allegedly disregarded the party’s directive by inaugurating fresh senators as principal officers, just as they vowed any attempt to impose former Akwa Ibom

State Governor, Godswill Akpabio as Minority leader above other ranking Senators, adding that Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe, James Manager, George Sekibo, Emmanuel Paulker, Solomon Bwacha, Sonni Ogbuoji, Andy Uba, Uche Ekwinife, and Owan Enoh, among others, should not be in chamber while a fresher like Akpabio should become their leader.

The group 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 senate minority leader.”

Alleging that Akpabio was being favoured high above his seniors in the chamber contrary to the provisions of order 3 (2), the group 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?

“We all know how the leadership of the political parties and how they emerge. We know the supremacy of the political party (section 65 -2b) of the constitution. Let somebody tell us the supremacy of any caucus and where it’s hinged.

“May be they want stalemate in the 8th senate 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.
“Oga Senate President, please read order one. They are misleading you. Nigeria No spoil reach this level, God forbid !!

“We will force you on resumption to read order 1 and proceed by its provision. Unless if you want reduce the red chamber into a jungle where every body will do what he or she like to do and nobody can call anybody to order !!
“Sir, (Senate President) you are the custodian and greatest beneciary of the content of that red book, if you choose to violate it, we would help you to bring yourself down.”




Source: Vanguard

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