The dramatic removal of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume representing Borno South Senatorial district as Senate leader in the 8th Assembly is undoubtedly an occurrence that cannot be swept under the carpet in a hurry.
His emergence as Senate leader in June 2015 a week after the emergence of Senators Bukola Saraki (APC Kwara Central) and Ike Ekweremadu (PDP Enugu West) as President and Deputy President of the 8th senate respectively, was first and foremost premised on the fact that he was the caucus leader of the majority, All Progressives Congress (APC) and by implication he became the leader.
Going down memory lane, Ndume was caught up in the crossfire that attended Bukola Saraki’s presidency and like never before in the annals of Nigeria Senate, Saraki’s second in command, Ike Ekweremadu who was of the opposition party (PDP) was seen as an aberration to a party that came to power through the eye of the needle, thereby heightened agitation for his resignation that dragged for too long.
Intra and extraneous forces insisted that Saraki should give up on his ambition, while Ekweremadu should quit in line with APC’s stance, but Senators became unanimous that its independence was sacrosanct, hence, no interloper(s) from anywhere should dictate the tone.
Senator Ali Ndume was conspicuous in his support for Saraki/Ekweremadu Senate presidency and was irrevocably committed to ensuring that there was no change of guards. He was practically involved in lobbying, while extrapolating on issues to the understanding of his colleagues that leadership comes from God. He once described the differences between contending groups – Unity Forum which was the All Progressives Congress (APC) rooting for Senator Ahmed Lawan, the new Senate leader and Like Minds who were behind Saraki as at the time, that what was happening between the groups was convergence and divergence opinion. He believes there were no crises, saying, the contest was normal in participatory democracy.
Unarguably, Ndume’s loyalty to Saraki could be understood in the perspectives, as the Senate leader and by implication, the number three. The position would see him conducting plenaries at any legislative sittings and even increase his popularity and endear him to all arms of government in a manner that he could use the position to stage a comeback in the next election, particularly in convincing his constituents that he was already close to becoming the Senate President. Notwithstanding, the position has enticing percolate of office and such paraphernalia that naturally get him whatever he want in his official capacity.
His conduct of legislative business at each sitting has helped stabilized the 8th Senate tremendously.
His removal on Tuesday as Senate leader sent shocks down the spines of those who are acquainted with Ndume’s belief in the Senate’s leadership, but his manifest empathy on certain issues which is personal to him had always entangled him with the leadership he was part of.
Those issues were Senate’s rejection of Ibrahim Magu who was transmitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari to be confirmed as Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).He believes the matter was not treated by the Senate fairly, having been sent for screening on 24th July, 2016 which was not attended to till five months after, only for the Senate to reject Magu relying on controversial DSS report. Ndume argued that Magu would have been subjected to institutional checks by allowing relevant Committee of the Senate to invite him before submitting a report on the floor of the Senate which has been the tradition. His thoughts and feelings on this were seen as dissenting and a division in the Senate which has allowed public outcry against the rejection of Magu.
In the public domain, the situation was further alluded to EFCC’s running battle with the Senate President over his ongoing trial on 16-count charges bordering criminal matters at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Debunking Ndume’s position, Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi at a press conference reiterated that Ibrahim Magu was rejected by the Senate based on intelligence reports from the Department of Security Services, adding that the erstwhile Senate leader, Ali Ndume might have expressed his personal opinion, while calling for jettisoning of that statement.
At a close door session, when DSS report on Magu was being debated, Ndume’s insistence on due process infuriated the Senate President and Dino Melaye in particular thereby leading to altercation between Dino and Ndume. They both called each other unprintable names and engaged in a shouting match before other Senators eventually intervened. Dino threatened surprises that analysts believed has led to no confidence votes that eventually removed him from office.
Dossiers compiled on former Senate leader also showed that he stood by the Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Mr Babachair Lawal when Senator Shehu Sani led Ad-Hoc Committee on humanitarian crises in IDPs in Borno indicted him for a contract involving SGF’s company – Rholavision Engineering Services Limited. This became manifest when he maintained on the floor of the Senate in his contribution to the report that, since Shehu Sani’s report was an interim, urging that the Senate should not conclude on the SGF in calling for his resignation from his office until certain fundamental issues were trashed.
Ndume has fingered Saraki and Dino as the masterminds of his removal, but reacting to the allegation, Senate President told the State House correspondents on Tuesday night that he could not have done that to a man who has been his ally during the turbulent times. He said, change of leadership as it were was normal and it happens at any time.
Part of vexed issues that constituted his woes was his stance for consideration of 29.9 billion dollars requested by the executive despite what Senators believed was not properly explained. But in his lead debate on the floor, Ndume reasoned that the upper chamber has power to insert or otherwise of whatever, citing relevant rules of the Senate, but the request was eventually thrown out.
Though he has accepted his fate, it remains curious that the Senate President who was billed to attend to CCT trial on Wednesday which of course, he would not be on sit announced Ndume’s removal the previous day and even did it at the end of plenary contrary to arrangements on Senate’s order paper.
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