These are not the best of times for the Senate. Things appear to have fallen apart in the upper chamber. From sudden deaths to embarrassing arrests and detention of its members on charges of fraud and related crimes, the Senate has continued to dominate news headlines for the wrong reasons though. Apart from the death of Senators Ali Wakili and Bukar Mustapha, Senators Dino Melaye and Peter Nwaoboshi are waiting for their dates in court. While Melaye is held for alleged possession of illegal arms, Nwaoboshi is detained for alleged N322 million fraud.
A couple of other senators, including a high profile senator from the south south geo-political zone, are said to have been evading arrest. A melodramatic dimension was added to the unfolding uneasy situation in the upper chamber on April 18 when armed thugs invaded the hallowed chamber carting away in the process its symbol of authority, the mace. Observers say the renewed unsettled state of affairs in the Senate is part of the fallouts of the aborted amendment of the Electoral Act.
That the Senate has not known peace since the adoption of the Electoral Act amendment, which specified reordering of election sequence, may be putting it mildly. The adopted sequence of elections which slated National Assembly election first, followed by governorship and house of assembly and presidential elections last was the icing some senators needed to stage their outburst.
Hardly had the controversial election sequence been adopted when furious senators led by the senator representing Nasarawa west, Abdullahi Adamu, stormed out of the chamber to vent their frustration and anger against the legislation. Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, may not be one of the chatty lawmakers, his submissions on issues are, however weighty.
A man of his own mind, Adamu has been enmeshed in a running battle in the upper chamber since he led the group of 10 senators to oppose the adoption of reordered election sequence. The new election sequence, which has been voided by the court, has had its first casualty with the suspension of the Delta central senator, Ovie Omo-Agege.
The fear initially was that Adamu, who led senators Abu Ibrahim, Benjamin Uwajimogu, late Ali Wakil, Abdullahi Gumel, Binta Masi Garba, Yahaya Abdullahi, Andrew Uchendu and Umaru Kurfi, to oppose the reordering of election sequence, would be the first to be hammered for his audacity to challenge the authority of the Senate.
Rather than succumb to what he described as orchestrated intimidation, Adamu has remained resolute in pursuit of the ideals he believed in. Notwithstanding, the Nasarawa west parliamentarian blames his travails on the leadership of the Senate.
Apart from maintaining his position that President Muhammadu Buhari was the target of the formulation of a new election sequence, Adamu went further to form the Parliamentary Support Group for Buhari. The leadership of the Senate saw the formation of the budding lobby group for the re-election of Buhari as an affront and a ploy to paint other senators black in the eye of the Presidency.
Apparently to clip Adamu’s wings, he was not only removed as the Chairman of Northern Senators’ Forum, the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee was mandated to investigate his bourgeoning Buhari Support Group. Senator Dino Melaye spearheaded the sacking of Adamu as the chair of Northern Senators’ Forum.
A former Sokoto State governor, Senator Aliyu Wammako, was announced as Adamu’s replacement. Members of the NSF, in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, which was read by Deputy Senate Presidente, Ike Ekweremadu, claimed Adamu was sacked over alleged mismanagement of funds of the forum.
The letter endorsed by Melaye, publicity secretary of NSF, read: “This is to inform the Senate of the majority signatories of members of the Northern Senators Forum. We have removed Senator Abdullahi Adamu as chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum for financial mismanagement and misadministration.
“We announce his replacement with Senator Aliyu Wamakko immediately.” Senator Shehu Sani, who also spoke on behalf of Northern Senators Forum, explained what he claimed was the reason Adamu was removed. Adamu, Sani said, was alleged to have mismanaged N70 million left in his care as chairman of the NSF.
The Kaduna Central senator added some cynical dimension to the drama when he said that monkeys invaded the farmhouse of executive member of NSF and carted away the N70 million. He said the said amount was handed over to Adamu by the forum’s leadership of the 7th Senate. Sani claimed that northern lawmakers, who were not satisfied with the handling of the funds, decided to replace Adamu with Wammako. “Abdullahi Adamu is a respected senator and an elder statesman.
There are some things that some of my colleagues cannot say, but I am not used to holding back what is the truth. When we resumed as senators, Ahmad Lawan tendered the sum of N70 million to the 8th Senate. “That is, N70 million was the money gathered by northern senators from the 7th Senate. So it was handed over to the 8th senators from northern Nigeria.’’
Melaye on his part said northern senators took the decision to sack Adamu after it was established that there was a case of financial mismanagement by Adamu-led leadership. “There was a case of financial mismanagement and that monies were spent without the consent of members and the leadership were not contacted.
The body is becoming moribund and ineffective. We are not doing the things that we are supposed to do and we need to inject some vibrancy into the forum and that many positions have been taken without consulting with the executive members of the forum,” Melaye said. Those familiar with the politics of the Senate, however, knew that what was playing out in the sack of Adamu was actually the role the Nasarawa State politician played to scuttle the reordering of election sequence.
Observers also saw the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob in the sack of Adamu as NSF boss. Adamu immediately fired back. He specifically picked hole in the electoral amendment bill, describing its report as rash and rushed. For the embattled senator, an issue as sensitive as reordering of election sequence ought to have been fully debated before “it was hurriedly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.”
“We are aggrieved with the process the report was considered. It was rash. I spoke on the issue. I relied on some of the statues. We believe that the process was rushed. Yes, we may rely on existing statues of law. “The strategic importance of the bill does not need to be rushed.
The report that was circulated was not signed by the chairman and co-chairman of the conference committee. So many members of the committee did not sign. We need to know why they did not sign. I believe that the content of the bill is not fair. We need to be fair.
Why the rush? We will all pass out one day. Why do we want to pass this law? I will not be part of it,” Adamu declared. Not one to hold back his feelings, Adamu declared that the Senate leadership is after him and continued to fire from all sides of the cylinder.
Adamu told those who cared to listen that he was being targeted for destruction in the Senate due to his stand against attempts by the upper chamber to ridicule and disrespect the office and person of President Buhari. He said his opposition to the amendment of the Electoral Act which reordered election sequence in the country, was another reason he has been target of attack in the Senate.
The All Progressives Congress, he said, has the majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, “yet we hold the executive prisoner of politics that is unhealthy for the polity. “It is such a terrible irony that we sabotage our own government by refusing to do our part in support of the executive. “Appointments requiring Senate approval are held up,” leading to the consequence that “the public has nicknamed the president and his administration goslow.
“The people gave us the mandate as a party to deliver. With our control of the executive and the National Assembly, there is no reason why the government cannot acquit itself and fulfill the yearnings of the people. “Perhaps, while we are consumed with sabotaging the administration and stabbing one another in the back, we forget that in less than a year from now, we shall be required to seek the people’s revalidation of our mandate to sit in these hallowed chambers.
What shall we tell them?” “The public is aware that I have been the subject of vilifications by both the leadership and my distinguished colleagues in the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the past three weeks or so.
Various attempts have been made, and are still being made, to impugn my integrity and question my support for the leadership of the Senate and my loyalty to the Senate. “I have thus far refrained from a press war in defeI have been the subject of vilifications by both the leadership and my distinguished colleagues in the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the past three weeks or so. Various attempts have been made, and are still being made, to impugn my integrity and question my support for the leadership of the Senate and my loyalty to the Senate.
“I have thus far refrained from a press war in defence of myself because I am fully aware that a press warfare resolves nothing. In all wars, including a press war, the truth suffers; the public becomes less informed and more confused about the facts and the issues at stakence of myself because I am fully aware that a press warfare resolves nothing.
In all wars, including a press war, the truth suffers; the public becomes less informed and more confused about the facts and the issues at stake. I have taken some necessary steps within the confines of the Senate to defend myself and re-assure my distinguished colleagues that I remain unshaken in my commitment and faithful to my oath as a legislator on whom the constitution imposes the burden of making laws for the good governance of our dear country.
“In my humble view, a strained relationship between the two arms of government would result in the proverbial case of two elephants fighting and trampling the grass under their heavy feet. In this case, unless the executive and the legislature act in tandem, good governance would become unattainable. And of course the welfare of the people would suffer grievously.”
Adamu concluded that “barefaced, nasty allegations” will fail. There appears to be determined efforts by opposing forces in the Senate to settle scores. It may be hard to determine who laughs last in the unfolding war of attrition. What is certain though is that the Eight Senate may never be the same again.
