NASS leadership tussle: Saraki stops plot to remove Ekweremadu

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Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, stopped a plot by some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators to remove Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President.
The attempt was made by Senator Kabir Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central) who questioned the June 9 election of Saraki and Ekweremadu.
He was ruled out of order by Saraki.
The Senate also rejected a move by some APC senators to read the letter by the APC leadership, recommending some senators to occupy other principal offices of the Senate.
Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC-Lagos East), who relied on Order 15 of the Senate Standing Order, urged that the President of the Senate should read on the floor of the Red Chamber the letter from the party.
“Yesterday, most of the media houses carried a letter that was written by the Chairman of our great party, the APC.
“We were expecting that that letter, which has been received in your office, will be read in order to see to the resolution of the party leadership tussle,” he said.
He backed the decision of the party leadership to recommend persons to occupy the other positions exclusively preserved for the party.
Quoting from Order 28 (1) he read: “There shall be a Majority Leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall be a senator nominated from the party with the highest number of senators.
“I believe that that letter should have been read to the hearing of all senators here present. Perhaps that will be the solution to the leadership tussle in the Senate,” he said.
APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had in a letter dated June 22, 2015, recommended Senators to occupy the other principal positions.
The letter recommended Senator Ahmad Lawan as Senate Leader; George Akume, Deputy Senate Leader; Olusola Adeyeye as Chief Whip; and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Whip.
However, Senator Ibn Na’Allah (APC-Kebbi South) immediately countered the point of order and explained that the nomination should be made `from’ the party not made `by’ the party.
“By the ordinary principles of interpretation of documents that have been agreed by parties, the ordinary letters and words used must be given their effective meaning.
“Order 28 used ‘from’, not ‘by’. What this seeks to do is to deter the minority party from nominating the Majority Leader,” he said.
Saraki, who presided over plenary, ruled Ashafa out of order and declined to read the said letter.
He said: “I have listened to Senators Ashafa and Na’Allah. Going by the rules and what has been said earlier, I think I will just note what Senator Ashafa has said. We will leave the matter as that and in that case, rule that out of order.”
Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central), who questioned the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu, said his argument was based on Order 110 and 3 (e) (i), of the Senate Standing Order, and sought to know which of the Order Books (2011 or 2015) was being used to coordinate the activities of the 8th Senate.
He described the 2011 Senate Standing Order as ‘genuine and authentic’ thereby countering the authenticity of the Senate Standing Order 2015.
“I am still referring to the events of the 9th of June, 2015, in this chamber. I have two Order Books and I am running into confusion, and I think there’s a need for the President to rule.
“Which of the Order Books are we going to use to coordinate the activities of this Senate?’’ he asked.
Marafa insisted that there was a conflict in the two books as to the procedure that should be taken for election of presiding officers of the senate.
Proffering explanation, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekwerenmadu, said that from 1999 till date, the Senate had come with its own rules.
“There was Senate Rule of 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and now 2015. The reason is quite simple.
“If you look at Section 64 of the 1999 Constitution, it says that the Senate and House of Representatives shall each stand dissolved at the expiration of a period of four years commencing from the date of the first sitting of the house.
“So, the implication is that the rule he was referring to ended with the Senate on the 6th of June,” he said.
Saraki ruled him out of order.
Meanwhile, Saraki, has assured Nigerians that the Eighth Senate was determined to partner with all stakeholders
in instituting functional government programme which will ensure that dividends of democracy get to all Nigerians.
Addressing the leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association, (NBA) who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja,
Saraki said the Senate will soon come up with a legislative agenda which will guide its activities.
The Senate President, who sought the collaboration of the NBA and other partners as the National Assembly faces the challenges of rebuilding the nation said: “We like to tell you that we are ready for business. We recognise the important role the NBA played in the last general elections. The change that our people voted for is in line with the ideas of NBA which has consistently advocated for better justice system, improved business environment and giving the people the right opportunity.
Saraki assured that the Senate, under his watch, will continue
to give premium to the advice from the legal body, adding that “NBA is an indispensable voice in building our society. Ours is not just a change by words of mouth, but change with actions.
“Our nation is passing through difficult and challenging times, a time when our ability to find solution to our problem is being tested. We want to hit the ground running by adhering strictly to the Rule of law and reform of the legal processes. We will break the jinx where governments do not meet their promises,” he said.
Saraki added that the Eighth Senate will put in place measures to often review its activities to access the performance and benefits to Nigerians.
Earlier, NBA President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN), said the NBA has a standing tradition of partnering with the Senate in improving on the workings of the legislative institution.
He advocated for sufficient support in the area of speedy passage of laws by the Upper Chamber. He added that the Bar was not seeking to take over the responsibilities of the lawmakers but to collectively address grey areas in the law making process.
He specifically mentioned areas which the NBA considered as priority to include the Petroleum Industry Bill, Industrial Court, funding of the judiciary, reduction in cost of governance and review of the laws guiding establishment of business in the country.
The NBA boss commended the Senate for the peaceful conduct of the elections to elect its leadership.
He said the Upper Chamber of the nation’s legislative body “used the election to demonstrate the maturity of our democracy”.

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