Harboursandport.com: Lagos, 15/06/2022 - 70% of National Assembly members will not be returning to the National Assembly when the 10th one convenes by next since most of them did not scale through the just concluded primaries to get their parties' tickets.
When the Senate resumed in what could be described as
the seemingly solemn and glum plenary session as the hallowed chamber was
scanty.
Recall that the chamber had suspended the plenary on Wednesday,
May 11, 2022, to enable lawmakers to participate in the primaries of political
parties.
At the resumed plenary, the President of the Senate, Senator
Ahmad Lawan announced to his colleagues the resignation of the Majority
Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, Kebbi North
and the Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Abia
South, adding that their resignation followed their defection from their
political parties under which platform they got elected into the Senate.
The atmosphere at the Senate Chamber was solemn against the
backdrop that n fewer than 70 per cent of the senators lost their bid to return
to the red chamber on the platform of their parties, just as some of them
dumped their parties for new ones.
In a letter he read, the President of the Senate said that Abdullahi's
resignation was attributed to his decision to defection from the All
Progressives Congress, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP
Lawan also said that Abaribe dumped the PDP for the All
Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
Recall that Abaribe had in May, left the PDP on grounds of a "shambolic electoral process in the state, driven by a procured court
injunction."
The Senator who resigned as the Minority leader about 48
hours after he withdrew from the state's governorship race had decried
the party's use of "imaginary three-man ad-hoc delegates and the
exclusion of the party's statutory delegates" in the primary elections to
elect candidates.
In another letter Lawan read to his colleagues, he disclosed
that the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Adamu Aliero, Kebbi
Central has defected from the APC to the APC.
Soon after reading the letters, he directed the Chief Whip,
Senator Orji Kalu, APC, Abia North to relocate both the former Senate
Leader and his colleague in the minority caucus, to other seats that are very
comfortable.
Meanwhile, attempts by Senators Phillip Aduda, PDP, FCT; George
Thompson, PDP, Rivers and Gabriel Suswan, PDP, Benue o stop
the relocation of Abaribe to another because he had not formally communicated
his decision to his caucus however proved abortive as the President
of the Senate frustrated them.
The PDP Senators, who faulted the defection of Enyinnaya
Abaribe, raised several issues ranging from failure to consult the PDP caucus
to breaching some provisions of the Constitution.
Speaking further, Lawan who noted that Abaribe had sent two
letters notifying him of his defection and resignation, did not read the
letters. He simply made a verbal announcement, and said, "Abaribe has decamped
from the PDP to APGA. The position of the minority leader is now vacant for the
PDP to fill. We wish him success."
Lawan who announced that APGA is now represented in the Senate
with the former Minority leader now in that party said that Abaribe gave
"good leadership" and "kept the majority party on its toes"
and also supported the progress of the administration.
But shortly after Lawan's announcement, the Senate Minority Whip,
Philip Aduda who raised a Point of Order - Order 42, said that the section is
asking for an explanation on the "circumstances upon which
Abaribe left.
According to Aduda, he would go on to say it was a controversial
one and that the former minority leader "did not consult the minority
leadership caucus" before making a decision to decamp.
At this point, Aduda was, however, interrupted by Lawan who
said that the circumstance was not a controversial one.
Senator Sekibo who was the next to raise a similar issue said that the PDP caucus was initially not aware of his reasons for leaving and
that "if the reason was division in his state party", he was expected
to come to the caucus for discussions and interventions.
But Lawan said that everyone was aware the moment Abaribe
defected and the Senator's decision to consult the caucus is his decision
to make.
Other Senators like Gabriel Suswam and Betty Apiafi, PDP,
Rivers who made similar complaints, said that his
defection contradicts Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution which says a member
of the Senate or House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of
which he is a member “if being a person whose election to the House was
sponsored by another political party he becomes a member of another political
party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.
“Provided that his membership of the latter political party is
not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously
a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of
which he was previously sponsored."
"This law means any lawmaker who defects to another
political party when the party on whose platform he was elected is not
undergoing any form of crisis or is not part of a merger with two or more
political parties shall vacate his seat.
At this point, the President of the Senate asked Apiafi
and any aggrieved lawmakers to "go to court. Abaribe has moved on to
obtain the APGA senatorial ticket."
In his welcome address, the President of the Senate has
his colleagues who lost during the just concluded primary elections at various
levels to take heart and continue to pursue what they believe in, just as
he wished those who defected to other political parties well and advised
them to hope for a better opportunity in the nearest future.
Lawan called on his colleagues to remain committed to the political system of their respective parties not minding the
outcome of the just concluded primaries, even as he also underscored the need
for the Senate to prioritise the nation’s security challenges, as well as
undertake further amendment of the Electoral Act.
According to him, the electoral processes in the just concluded
primaries have thrown up issues that must be critically looked at by the
National Assembly.
Speaking on the outcome of the party primaries, Lawan said,
“Some of us participated in the congresses for their Senatorial Districts, some
of our colleagues went for Governorship of their states, and four of us went
for the Presidency of our great country.
“We have recorded different results from those activities, but
as politicians, it is never over until It is over. We should continue to
support the political system that we believe in.
“Those of our colleagues who have recorded successes, we wish them
more successes in the general elections.
“[And] those of who have not succeeded as much, we are hopeful
that between now and then, the situation may be better.
“But on the whole, our commitment to ensuring that this
democracy benefits from legislative Interventions of the National Assembly
should remain our focus.
“As a Parliament, we still have issues that require our
legislative intervention.
“The security of our country still needs our attention and,
therefore, I urge all of us to continue from where we stopped before we went on
recess, in giving due and desired attention for the improvement in the security
of our citizens.
“The electoral process may have thrown up certain issues that
the National Assembly could also look at and address, because the electoral
act itself, even though a good document, is not a perfect document.
“So, it needs some refinement from time to time to improve our
electoral process.”
The President of the Senate said that the Ninth Assembly in the
last three years has done so much in improving the quality of governance.
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