Nigeria’s Senate President, Bukola Saraki, may lose his position in the Red Chamber, after defecting from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday.
Saraki emerged the Senate President in June 2015, following the success of the APC at the general elections.
He and 10 other Senators had joined the party in January 2014 from the PDP.
Saraki emerged the Senate President against the wishes of the APC leadership, which favoured Ahmed Lawan, the current senate leader.
The former Kwara Governor may now lose the position, as a lawmaker from a minority party cannot occupy it.
A clearer picture of which party between APC and PDP is majority in the Senate, would emerge when the Upper Chamber resumes from recess in September.
However, an argument in favour of Saraki, is the Section 50 (2) of the Constitution which says “The President or Deputy President of the Senate or the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall vacate his office:
“a) If he ceases to be a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives, as the case maybe, otherwise than by reason of a dissolution of the Senate or the House of Representatives; or
“b) When the House of which he was a member first sits after any dissolution of that House; or
“c) If removed from office by a resolution of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case may be, by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of the House.”
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