Saraki overrules protests over Senate leadership
Saraki
SOME MEMBERS of the inner bar have been reacting to the emergence of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking to The Guardian on the matter, Chief Emeka Ngige(SAN) said: “I have not been able to get a copy of their rules. I need to get it before taking informed position because they were quoting their standing rule.
The other argument is that that rule applies only when you have been sworn-in as a member, when the house is operating normally, that is when everybody must have been sworn-in as a senator.
But when if comes to inauguration, all of them, if not all, a substantial number of them, more than 50 percent must be present. So, I need to read it.
The All Progressives Congress(APC) should just settle down and allow Saraki and at the appropriate time, they can strike.
Saraki, with the way he emerged, will now be sleeping with one eye.
The proverbial banana peel is already on the side of his presiding chair. It is like, he will now be watchful before he finishes his tenure.
If I were Saraki, since I know that I have the number of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and some members of APC that would make him win that election, I would have asked that we wait for our colleagues to come.
That is the mark of statemanship.
Another person I lay the blame on is the Clerk of the National Assembly. He allowed himself to be used for political purposes and the Clerk is supposed to be a civil servant who is not a card- carrying member of any party.
Even if the rules were not violated, decency and morality demand that they should have postponed that election by at least one hour.
This is because, earlier that day, we were watching television and were told that the road and the gate to the National Assembly had been blocked by the police and that reporters and even workers were not allowed in.
Thereafter, about 30 minutes later, they said that the inauguration had been postponed. These incidents ought to have made him to postpone the election to by at least one more hour to allow everybody to be present. But what he did by proceeding with the election, seeing that all his colleagues were not there is like he was acting out a script.
It is immoral, even if the rules permit him to do that. When we appear before a court, there are occasions that the judge arrives by 9am. When he calls a matter and the party on the side is not there, he will stand the matter down for 30 minutes in case the other party is held up. The exercise could be right or legal, but the moral aspect is that the Clerk of the House ought to have delayed the inuaguration for one hour.
Look at what happened in the House of Representative. Nobody is complaining there. Everybody took part in the voting and the winner emerged. For me, Saraki would have still won even if all the APC members were there.”
Also speaking, Albert Akpomudje (SAN) said: “It is good for democracy. I think the APC played into the hand of the PDP. They should have put their house in order. But again, if you look at the process, the president had issued a proclamation for the national assembly to be inaugurated. Everybody supposed to be there. Nobody is going to wait for you because you are from the presidents party.
You may also look at the number of votes. Those of them who were out were in the minority. Even if they had participated, they would not have got the majority to help the APC.
So, whether it was done in their present or absent, what matters at the end of the day is that the senate president emerged from the majority votes. In the argument about quorum, they are 109 members and quorum is aobut one third of the total number. It is not the two third majority.
Quorum usually is not more than one third of all members. I think they formed the quorum. Those who voted are more than half. It is not an issue that should be argued. If all members were present, Saraki probably would have won too. So that is the nature of politics – no permanent friend, no permanent enemy.”
On his part, Yusuf Ali (SAN): “In the rules of the national assembly there is a quorum. If the quorum was not formed, the clerk would not have called for election. So, the question about the legality of the election should be directed to the clerk of the national assembly. He knows what obtains. I think the APC should reappraise its tactics. They need to capert their frustration. They need a specific reaction or they go the way of PDP. PDP made the same mistake on Tambuwal. I think the APC needs to strategise and extend the olive branch to their members.”
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35 Comments
this meeting with pmb was a rouse to explain away the humiliation they would have suffered. pmb did not even come to the so called meeting. they knew they were going to lose the election and was looking for a way to truncate the process. saraki and his group should be careful, do they know how much tinubu invested in this elections. they now planned this coup to block his investments. dia ris God oooooo chei
Invest ke? Is it a limited liability company? Tinubu is a patriotic Nigerian that wishes the country well!
you are so right. the wife was acting on her own against the constitution of nigeria
If she was acting on her accord the husband won’t come out to say he won’t recognise Saraki as the Senate president
i was being sarcastic. has tinubu said that???
Of cos, not but that’s how he runs lagos and thinks he can do same with Nigeria as a nation
I shall comment much later . for now. “Sedon look na him be dog name”
I think the APC must come to terms that they are now the ruling party and take issues of governance more seriously. Blaming the clerk of the National Assembly for conducting the election is out of place especially if the abseentee senators did not inform the clerk that while the Senate will be inaugurated they will be attending another private meeting elsewhere. The senate is composed of PDP, APC and other party senators, so the APC cant act as if they alone constitute the 8th Senate.
Am not an APC member but d Clerk was duly informed of the meeting at ICC. Dey just intentional violated d rules.
Alex, you are just a joker nothing concerns the Clark with you informing him or not it has been announced and published and fixed week before that day, then dey fixed a party meeting.and you expect the Clark to wait for them cos no them get nigeria
Guess u dont know anything about law, procedure or governance. Am not arguing wit ur opinion but dont come to dis platform and call people name. Am not a Joker. Be mature
Sorry for using the word joker on you.sincere apology. There is no law that mandates the clerk to shift the inauguration.
I hail u.
Is the clerk working for APC or the “national assembly? On whose time or terms does the house conduct its business? Election was scheduled, time and venue were announced, and some members chose to attend an aborted breakfast meeting at Aso Rock, while the patriotic members elects their leaders, and losers who could not get their breakfast and lost a seat, come back crying wolf. Nigeria is no longer a banana republic whereby you Senators forgo important government business for personal pleasures and expects to be rewarded. If you miss the flight, do you blame the pilot and the attendant, because your taxi failed to arrive on time. Make we hear word.
No rules was violated…everything went in order..
Where the election was held, we have not only APC but other parties were there…so please think this very well
Ngige must be a foolish SAN to think that work would have been suspended for 30 minutes so that people who knows when to start their job but chosed to play big man and come at their own time to come before government functions could be carried out.
From all the explanations from our senior advocates, it shows that Saraki has not done anything wrong. It is controlling for Tinubu and co to have preference. If Saraki is APC why would you want to take us back to Egypt? Is that the change? Saraki has
This Saraki boy, is not genuine. He present the interest of the thugs, if he does not respect the president of our country then how come he wants to be president of senate and will want to be respected. The way he came in is gangster way should be watched closely. This is man who is unable to manage corporate body and yet to give account of his stewardship in Kwara State as a governor – Shame to you the clerk of the house who allow the voidable process to take place when of the members were away to answer our president, the clerk of house integrity is called for question, and those members that supported this undignify of senate vote.
Be carefull what you say about our new Senate President. Do not forget that:
He was once a Presidential candidate,
He is an experienced Nigerian,
He has not done anything strange here,
He has been a two term Governor before,
Does he still have any case with EFCC?
Is he not a Medical Doctor?
Was his father not one of Nigerian founding fathers?
Did he act against the “corruption enabling” Constitution?
Is this method not in tadem with the atmosphere of the just concluded electioneering?
Glad to note that you are’t complaining about Senator Kashamu’s experience with the law
Is Nigeria not moving forward?
Is he not appreciated by His Excellency Tanbuwal and Atiku?
He has not done anything strange,
We must learn to package our men of genius to write THE WHOLE TRUTH sometime later
Can’t this become a foreign exchange spinner?
NASS has made an en passan in a chess game
Is the court not the Arbitter?
Fayose, Obj,Nzeribe,Orji Kalu, IBB, Wike are super stars we must consult to lead us out of the “wood”
Mama, pls put that shaki and edor with the gbegiri and ewedu for my amala
I get work to do.
Leakage.
Blaming the clerk is nothing but stupidity. Is the clerk working for APC or the “national assembly? On whose time or terms does the house conduct its business? Election was scheduled, time and venue were announced, and some members chose to attend an aborted breakfast meeting at Aso Rock, while the patriotic members elects their leaders, and losers who could not get their breakfast and lost a seat, come back crying wolf. Nigeria is no longer a banana republic whereby Senators forgo important government business for personal pleasures and expects to be rewarded. If you miss the flight, do you blame the pilot and the attendant, because your taxi failed to arrive on time. Make we hear word.
PDP a fortnight before the election publicly had declared their intention to vote for Saraki, the Lawan group understood what that portends, so hastily ran to Aso Rock and wanted Buhari to intervene and abort the process and the impending defeat. Why did the police seal off the entrance to the Assembly if they were not aware that election was eminent? The fact remains that all this crocodile cries are not but a masquerade to cover the shame of defeat. The empty threat of lawsuit were mere diversionary and their inability to be man enough to concede defeat and congratulate a winner.
Guess all those insulting Tinubu and APC are merely crying ova PDP loss at d poll. For me, wat is happening within APC is bound to happen. PDP should stop interfering, dey rule for 16 years without nothing to show for it. Simple
Let us face the reality, though I knew nothing about the Senator Lawan man’s traits, pedigree, antecedents and integrity.
My concern is the moral integrity of Senator Bukola Lawal
We are in for troubles in Nigeria: Why? Binubu cannot and will never support anyone without pre-arranged deals.
Again, Bukola Saraki is as corrupt as the rat or cocroach. He will block all anti corruption laws sent to the NASS as the chicken never vote for Christmas
Watch out, all the pending cases hanging over him (Bukola Saraki) will be quenched. All anti corruption laws will not see the light of the day except Buhari act very fast.
Now you got the joke. This hijack of nass leadership was planned long before now. The very purpose for undertaking such a precarious risk is to thwart any and all anti corruption moves by pmb. Buhari and the party will be held responsible for their election promises of which saraki care less.
Let us face the reality, though I knew nothing about the Senator Lawan man’s traits, pedigree, antecedents and integrity.
My concern is the moral integrity of Senator Bukola Saraki. VERY CORRUPT. I wander why people of his calibre ware being allowed to contest election at all.
We are in for troubles in Nigeria: Why? Binubu cannot and will never support anyone without pre-arranged deals.
Again, Bukola Saraki is as corrupt as the rat or cocroach. He will block all anti corruption laws sent to the NASS as the chicken never vote for Christmas
Watch out, all the pending cases hanging over him (Bukola Saraki) will be quenched. All anti corruption laws will not see the light of the day except Buhari act very fast.
Your ignorance is very palpable. Can you explain the moral integrity of Tinubu? You bloody ass-hole.
Corruption corruption corruption, who will bell the cat ? against this disease,which as Pmb said can kill Nigeria if we don’t kill it! We all know this. But what with timipre Silva’s charges for corruption now dismissed, to enable efcc bring better framed charges or whatever, am getting very worried that there is no medicine against this disease, it will always remain a weapon to hound the perceived political enemies. Sylva now a saint while Saraki may now get his corruption charges revived for daring to ruffle the waters without permission. Wonderful! Nigerians, we are in for a merry go round . Am sorry.
A man’s provisions (food, fame, wealth, family, power, and the likes) is assured and written even before he is born. Yes, he must aspire and work for it – that is God’s system for us. It’s up to him to choose to win it fair, square obeying rule of law (God’s and country’s) or steal it through cunning, deceit and other evil ways, breaking all rules – whichever one he chooses determines his status in this world and forever. A thief is not the same as a chief. All Saraki needed to have done is to have stayed true to his words and the mandate of Kwara Central through the APC – he did not have to act like a desperado, even as we know he was in the plutocratic desperado party before, he claimed he left them – everyone believed him and it turns out he did not take personal stock to leave the baggage of the PDP ways in PDP – as they say, you can take a man out of the hood but you can’t take the hood out of him…put another way, God does not change the condition of anybody until he or she changes what it is within himself or herself.
Below is a recopy of my comment when this senate sage broke:
As for the House of Rep – it could be said that democracy was in action, as all members were present.
As for the senate, there was treachery involved. 51 members – all APC were absent, led to believe there was a meeting that involved Saraki and the President to discuss APC approach to how they would conduct themselves; Even as Saraki had concluded plans with PDP overnight for how things would go the PDP-way. people have called it politics, I call it treachery and deceptions. What in Nigerian speak is what we call “Jamba”. Saraki Mesu Jamba. He sold out APC’s majority to PDP. By not waiting for the 50 members of APC to be present and his nocturnal planning with PDP to sell the mandate of his party, he committed the party equivalence of treason. He may well have emerged as Senate President with all APC members present, however it is obvious that his deputy would have been APC man and I hear Senate Mark is now majority leader – which actually ridicules the whole charade, how can he be the leader of the majority (APC has 59 members) and he is member of PDP with 49 members? All said 57 Senate-elect executed the PDP coup to hijack the people’s mandate.
“When it is said to them do not spread mischief in the land, nay they say we are only peace makers. When they meet members of the party of those who do good, they say we are with you and when they meet fellow evildoers they say, don’t mind the fools we are definitely with you.”. The case of Saraki Jnr. reminds me of a story of old – A pious man was riding his horse, as he passes the house of God he decided to go in to offer some voluntary prayers. So he alighted from his horse, tied it down and gave his fine leather horse whip (those were good possessions of yore) to a boy he saw there to hold for him based on agreement. He came out and the boy and the horse whip were gone – so he called on someone else and gave him two silver coins and said to him go to the market, you’d see one boy who is selling a horse whip, buy it for 2 silver coins and bring it back to me. When the good samaritan returned with the horse whip, he told him the story of what just happened and concluded, God has meant that he will have 2 silver coins today. I was going to tip him 2 silver coins, if he had been truthful that would have been praiseworthy and he would have earned good for himself. He still got his 2 silver coins and now incurred the sin of stealing and it’s damnations.
There is enough lesson in this story for Senators Saraki, Ikweremadu, David Mark and all Senators, as well as President Buhari, APC, PDP and All Nigerians. What is your take on the lessons that can be deduced from this story, for all parties involved (in the disenfranchisement of majority of APC senators by a PDP-plot and it’s members to elect Saraki as Senate President and a PDP person as his deputy)?
I’d tell you what I think APC leadership (not the President – we want him focused on the job we hired him to do), should do based on the above story- Reverse the coup at the senate. This may be how, for being involved in the coup to give the majority mandate to PDP at the senate, which is the party-equivalent of treason, all APC-senators involved should be suspended, INEC petitioned for poll fraud (since they were not senators yet, but senators-elect on the platform of APC) and other candidates fielded to represent their constituencies. If they like, let them go and contest as PDP and then we’d see who wins and returns to the senate as PDP.
Over to you – what do you think the major actors and stakeholders mentioned above should do?
Sorry, meant to comment on your comment on compensation.
Thanks for your opinion, it’s indeed a very good contribution. I think chief Emeka Ngige’s opinion on the resolution for the fall out in nass leadership’s election will and should take the order of the day. Saraki has set himself up for failure.
Lawan group boycotted the inauguration of the 8th, assembly having come to the reality that PDP was casting a block vote To Saraki, which kicked Lawan out of the game, so they came up with this story that the President invited them to a meeting, which Buhari himself has denied, who is lying here, Buhari or the Lawan group? Why seal off the entrance of the national assembly if indeed Lawan group were interested in the election. It is high immoral to try to discredit a process just because you fear to loose. Jonathan could have challenged Buhari victory, and discredit the whole process because evidence of electoral malpractice and fraud were perpetuated in the North whether or not it would have affected the outcome was irrelevant, but he choose the path of honor and glory, why is decency and civil conduct alien to APC-Yoruba dominated Party? Buhari has distanced himself from this evil groups within APC. Saraki is the legitimate Senate President. The moral burden are on those who attempted to subvert democracy through boycotts, using police to seal off the entrance to the hallowed assembly and are now resorting to blackmails and intimidation.
Saraki is another Bankole in the making. Watch him wreck his fatherland. After all, he has PDP upbringing. Hope for Nigeria where are YOU?
Now talking of corruption, what has happened to the charges against the former speaker Bankole? Nothing I presume, until he offends the powers that be, then the charges will resurface. What a sham, what a shame to Nigeria.
Rubbish, we are talking of integrity. We do not many with holding our deserve it if not more.
We will review and take appropriate action.