Members of the Barnabas Gemade -led Senate Unity Forum have threatened to take a legal action against the emergence of Bukola Saraki on Tuesday as the President of the Senate.
They told a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday that the election of Saraki did not follow due constitutional procedure.
They addressed the journalists after
walking out of the Senate chambers when Saraki overruled Gemade and
Kabiru Marafa while questioning the process that produced the new
Senate leadership.
Saraki
had administered oath of office and allegiance on 28 All Progressives
Congress lawmakers, who were absent at the inauguration of the Eighth
Senate but when plenary commenced, Gemade and Marafa raised a point of
order on the issue.
Gemade, a former Peoples Democratic
Party national chairman, demanded full integration of the SUF members
who were absent from the formal inauguration on Tuesday.
He said, “I will like to appeal to the
President of the Senate that driving for a united Senate, it would be
reasonable to accommodate everyone. But if the desire is not to
accommodate all, then you are heading for a divided Senate.
“That would not be good for your
leadership, for the senate as a whole body, and it will also not be good
for the nation. It behoves on you, Mr. President, that due
recognition must be given to all concerned.”
Marafa, who raised a point of order
protesting the way and manner Saraki emerged as the Senate president,
demanded full investigation.
He said, “The news was that the Senate was inaugurated with 57 senators while 51 senators- elect were absent.
“The news portrayed me and many of my
colleagues as irresponsible members of this hallowed chamber. That we
were absent from an event that was announced and which we were to attend
with our spouses and well wishers, showed us as irresponsible people.
“That caused unwarranted embarrassment
to me and other members of this Senate and our family members. I
want to put it on record that after the swearing in today (Wednesday), I
was handed down Senate standing orders as amended.
“I want to say that as an active member
of the former Seventh Senate, I cannot recall where and when the
Senate orders were amended or tabled for any amendment or corrections. I
think it is worthy of notice that this act was perpetrated and the
Senate should call for a full investigation of what happened and where
this document emanated.”
After they were overruled, the 28
senators, including the APC choice candidate for the Senate Presidency,
Ahmed Lawan, went to address journalists. They did not return until the
session rose.
Gemade,who spoke for the forum, said
that 51 senators were denied the right to take part in the election of
Saraki because they were at the International Conference Centre in Abuja
for a scheduled meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the group had resolved to
challenge the “ illegality” in court “since it takes two-third of
members to impeach the Senate President, two third of the members should
also, have been in attendance before he(Saraki) was elected on Tuesday”
The Benue State-born lawmaker, said,
“Our right to participate in the election of the Senate President is a
constitutional right which cannot be taken by any person or group of
persons.
“The Clerk of the National Assembly
(Salisu Maikasuwa), knowing full well that the quorum for election of
the Senate President was not met, went ahead to conduct an election
that shut the door against about 51 other senators. This will remain
unacceptable until what would meet democratic parameters is done.
“The insinuations in some quarters that
we boycotted the election is totally unfounded. As loyal party members,
we would take all necessary political and legal means to strengthen our
democracy and democratic process in line with the change that we
promised our teeming supporters during our electioneering.”
Gemade insisted that the election of
Saraki was null and void because “a quorum was not formed , which should
be two-third of the senators present.”
He said, “53 senators were out and the
remaining 56 were not enough to elect the President of the Senate. That
is a clear position that we take. We are not considering the attendance
of that day to connote the quorum in the Senate because many Senators
came there after the event was done.”
Saraki had after his election on Tuesday administered oath of office and allegiance on 75 senators.
When he was elected, there were 23 APC
senators and 34 PDP senators in attendance. But when the election of his
deputy(Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP lawmaker) was being conducted, the number
rose to 75.
But at about 8.30pm on Wednesday,
Gemade, Lawan and 26 other members of the forum gathered at the
Senate chamber waiting for Saraki to formally swear them in as senators.
The senators, after the votes and
proceedings of the previous legislative day were adopted, took turn to
take their oaths by reading it out aloud and appending their
signatures.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Like
Minds Senators, Dino Melaye, has clarified that former Senate
President, David Mark, was not sworn in as the Majority Leader of the
Senate as reported by the media (The PUNCH not inclusive).
He said, “It is not possible for a
minority senator to be a Majority Leader. What happened is that out of
respect for the former Senate President, he was sworn in as an
individual instead of the groupings that took place. So, we are using
this opportunity to correct the erroneous impression out there that he
was sworn in as the Senate Leader.”
The Kogi State indigene also dispelled reports that 12 APC senators joined the PDP to elect the new Senate President.
“That is totally baseless and not true.
To start with, not all the 49 senators of the PDP were present when the
election of the Senate President took place. This is malicious,
capricious and there was no voting in the case of Senate President,”
Melaye said.
He described as untrue, reports that 54 senators were present during the inauguration.
“That is totally baseless and not true.
To start with, not all the 49 senators of the PDP were present when the
election of the Senate President took place,” the lawmaker added.
Saraki, Dogara risk suspension, expulsion
The PUNCH however learnt in
Abuja on Wednesday that Saraki and Dogara risked suspension or outright
expulsion for disregarding the APC directive not to stand for the
elections.
An APC leader, who confided in one of
our correspondents, said the party was considering applying Article 9.1,
Sub-Section 2 of its constitution, against all its members involved
in the exercise.
The sub-section deals with the Rules and Obligations of members to the party.
It reads, “(2) Members of the party
shall be obliged to affirm the party’s aims and objectives and conduct
themselves in a manner that shall not bring the party to public odium
and disrepute.
“Members of the party shall also observe the rules and regulations embedded in this.”
A breach of this sub-section or other
provision could lead to punishments ranging from reprimand, censure,
fine, debarment from holding party office, suspension or expulsion.
The party leader said it would not be
out of place for the APC to set up a disciplinary committee to try
Saraki, Dogara and others for their actions.
He said, “There is no organisation which
can survive without discipline; we cannot tolerate a situation where
party members defy the party without consequences.
“This assault on the party’s cohesion
has to be met with dire consequences if not, it will mark the beginning
of a revolt whose end no one can predict.
“What is even more painful about the
whole National Assembly thing is the fact that these individuals went as
far as sleeping with the enemy in their desperation for power. The
party must remain supreme. If not, anarchy will become the norm.”
He however said that for now, the APC was not keen on taking the matter to court.
The party leader added, “If you look
at the list of offences stipulated in our constitution, you will see
that anti-party activities or any conduct likely to embarrass of have
adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt,
ridicule or disrepute; disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful
directives of the party all constitute a violation and attract
sanctions.”
Attempts to reach the party’s National
Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, were unsuccessful as calls to his
mobile telephone were neither picked nor returned.
A response to text message sent to him on the subject was still being awaited as of press time on Wednesday.
APC can’t sanction Saraki, Dogara –PDP
Also on Wednesday, the PDP dismissed
the threat by the APC to sanction the new leadership of the National
Assembly as empty boast aimed at covering its naivety, inexperience and
unpreparedness for governance.
It said there was no way the APC could
punish the Senate President and the Speaker for refusing to
abide by the directive of the ruling party not to contest the leadership
of the assembly.
The PDP, in a statement by its
National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, admonished the APC to shed
its arrogance, eat the humble pie and get more organised for governance.
The party added that the APC lacked the
capacity, capability and means to sanction duly elected leaders of the
National Assembly.
It also said that “the crass
inexperience so far displayed by the APC is a pointer that it is not
adequately equipped to handle the affairs of government at the centre.”
The statement read, “Nothing can be more
astonishing than the whining by the APC that the PDP at the last minute
expressed its preference for Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and
Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively after it had
earlier stated that it was not interested in the positions.
“This calls to question the capacity,
experience and skills of APC leaders on political matters and we have no
apology whatsoever for their naivety.
“The APC is merely suffering the
consequences of the greed, lust for power and inordinate ambitions of
their leaders. They should note that Nigerians have since moved ahead
with the new leaders in the National Assembly and stop wasting their
energy on propaganda and blackmails to heat up the polity”.
The PDP also condemned Tuesday’s alleged
attempts to close the National Assembly and stop lawmakers from
carrying out their constitutional duties, as well as the threats to the
newly elected leaders as “totally against the tenets of democracy, the
principles of separation of powers and independence of the legislature
as enshrined in the constitution.”
“Indeed, APC’s disdain for democratic
norms, the rule of law and the sanctity of the legislature, coupled with
its excessive thirst for power portends grave threat to our survival as
a nation and calls for serious concern among Nigerians and all lovers
of democracy and freedom world over,” the former ruling party stated.
Marafa later explained to one of our
correspondents that they left the plenar to address journalists on “some
incorrect information” on why they were not present at the inauguration
of the Eighth Senate.
He said, “I and all the members of the
APC were summoned to a meeting with President Buhari through a well
signed and delivered message.
“While I was away, with a lot of other
members of the Senate, for the meeting, the senate went ahead to
commence the process of inauguration thereby infringing on my right and
privileges as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria by disenfranchising me and my colleagues from participating in
the election of the presiding officers of the Senate.
“The news item that the Senate was
inaugurated with 57 senators while 51 senators-elect were absent,
portrayed me and many of my colleagues as some kind of irresponsible
members of the hallowed chamber.”
Senator Shehu Sani, who is also a member
of the group, said his grouse was that his colleagues who were present
during the inauguration, allowed Ekweremadu to emerge as the deputy
Senate president.
He however admitted that the election
which produced Saraki as the President of the Senate was not only
constitutional but followed due process.
I won’t quit APC, says Senate President
The Senate President has described rumours that he was planning to defect to the PDP as “absurd and laughable.”
He said in a statement signed by Bankole
Omishore of his media office that the rumour was a “cheap blackmail
by political adversaries who want to call a dog a bad name in order to
hang it.”
Saraki told those behind the allegation to remember that he willingly left the PDP even when it (the PDP) was in power.
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