Within a week of its emergence in the Senate, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led group opposed to the adoption of new sequence of elections for the 2019 polls, seems deflated and in disarray. TAIYE ODEWALE reports.
Birth of angry group
The group emerged following the passage of the Conference Committee Report on the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) bill, penultimate week by the Senate.
When on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa West), led other nine senators on the same party platform to the Senate’s press centre to protest the adoption of section 25(1) included in the passed 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill with attendant re-ordering of the sequence of the 2019 general elections.
The schedule places the National Assembly elections first, followed by the Governorship/State Houses of Assembly elections, and finally the Presidential election last. Many thought the Adamu-led group was out for serious fight against the other senators in support of the re-order.
Hidden majority
Impression on such fight was not only created by the way they vehemently condemned the adopted new sequence of elections by their colleagues but also by their declaration that the passed bill would not see the light of the day by way of veto by President Muhammadu Buhari, who, according to them , was targeted by the action.
They even gave Nigerians, the impression that those who supported the contentious provision in the amended electoral act, were in the minority while they, who are against, are in the majority by claiming that they were 59 in number.
For the purposes of reminder, a staunch member of the group then, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC Delta Central) had declared at the briefing: “When this bill was passed in the House of Representatives, only 36 members were present. This cannot stand in a House of 360 members.
“This amendment needs to be debated before it is passed. We are supposed to determine if the decision of the House is in tandem with what the Senate passed. That was not done.
“The new sequence of elections inserted into it is targeted against President Muhammadu Buhari and as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; we kick against laws being targeted at individuals. It will not see the light of the day because the President will not assent to it and not less than 59 in the Senate are against it, making overriding President’s veto impossible if at all, it gets to that level.
“I didn’t come into the Senate in 2015 on APC ticket, but as a Senator, I need to join others in condemning what is bad”.
Point of Order shatters group
But exactly a week after, precisely last week Wednesday, the 21st February, 2018, the fire spitting Omo-Agege, made a u-turn from all his submissions by apologising to the Senate for describing its adoption of new sequence of elections as targeted action against President Buhari.
Omo-Agege’s apology was sequel to resolution already passed against him by the Senate to face its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for explanations on his comments on the strength of motion moved to that effect by Senator Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West) 24 hours earlier.
Senator Melaye had in the motion moved through a point of order, drew the attention of the Senate to allegation made by Omo – Agege that the Upper legislative chamber targeted President Buhari in the reordered sequence of elections which to him was in bad taste and impugned on the integrity of the senate.
He said:”Mr President, after the adoption of new sequence of elections in the Senate last week, Senator Omo- Agege granted interviews to journalists alleging that the action was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari
“I personally campaigned and followed the President to 35 states of the Federation. The only place I did not follow him to, was Yobe where we did not even go throughout the campaign. When I was following Buhari to campaign in 2015 to become the President of this country, Ovie Omo-Agege was labouring in the Labour Party.
“Today, to take the decision of the Senate, the integrity of the Senate put together, that it was tailored towards targeting a particular person, it is unheard of, and it is in bad taste. And I do not want to be part of that.
“I want to add that this statement was made by Omo-Agege among other statements that the Committee on Ethics and Privileges need to investigate this matter and find out if truly our decision was made and targeted at Mr President among other issues raised by him”.
Expectedly, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the session, put Melaye’s prayer to voice votes to which many of the senators shouted ayes! And it consequently directed the committee to report back in two weeks.
Aside Omo-Agege whose apology after Senate’s decision to investigate him was merely noted and not accepted, the leader of the group, Abdullahi Adamu, was also dealt with by the Senate through the Northern Senators’ Caucus.
Adamu, who had not recovered from the sudden U-turn made by Omo-Agege through his apology was jolted with his sudden removal as Chairman, Northern Senators’ Forum, through a letter read to that effect by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to the point that he couldn’t address the press the very day despite all entreaties made to that effect by the entire members of the senate press corps.
The letter upon which Adamu’s sack was based reads: “This is to inform the Senate that the majority signatories of this letter are members of the Northern Senators Forum.
“We have removed Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum for financial mismanagement and misadministration. We announce his immediate replacement with Sen. Aliyu Wamakko.”
Like a well plotted attack, minutes after the adjournment of the session, the Senate’s Spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger North), came to the press centre along with two other northern senators: Senators Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Central) and Hamman Isa Misau (APC Bauchi Central) to add pepper to the injury suffered by Adamu via the sudden removal.
The pepper was no doubt applied by Senator Sani, who in his submissions remarked thus: “There are some things that some of my colleagues cannot say but I’m not used to holding back what is the truth.
Monkey gulped N70m
“When we resumed as senators, Sen. Ahmed Lawan tendered the sum of N70 million to the 8th Senate. That N70 million was monies gathered by northern senators from the 7th senate. So it was handed over to the 8th senators from northern Nigeria under the 8th Senate.
“The rumours going round whether it is true, but I believe most of the senators know is the fact there were allegations that some monkeys raided the farm house of some of the executives in northern senators forum and carted away some of these monies.
“I think this country is becoming a huge joke, first of all it was the rodent that drove away the President and we now have snakes consuming about N36 million, and you now you have monkeys”
Refurbished battered image?
Though on the following day, precisely Thursday last week, a member of the now deflated Abdullahi Adamu group in person of Senator Ali Wakili (APC Bauchi South), made spirited attempt on the floor of the Senate to rubbish Adamu’s removal, but his effort was treated like a lone voice in the wilderness as his point of order was just noted.
Wakili had through orders 14 and 15 of the Senate Standing Orders, under personal explanation, claimed that he was never contacted at any time to discuss the removal of Adamu as a northern senator. “I come from the North and I am active member of the Northern Senators Forum. At no time have we met and put to question any of the leaders of the Northern Senators Forum.
“It was brought to this place and it was announced and some of our colleagues went to the press centre and made statements that referred to some of us as monkeys.
“We are taking this political brinkmanship beyond the level we are supposed to take it. We are supposed to be wise men. This is because nobody called me for a meeting. Senator Jibrin Barau, the Secretary of the Forum had never called a meeting. Sen. Dino Melaye, the Public Relations Officer had never called for a meeting”.
But in his response, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, simply said that personal explanation made by Wakili on the matter had been noted and closed the chapter from further discussion.
With Omo- Agege’s self removal from the group through his apology, Adamu’s technical knockout as its influential leader, Wakili’s failed effort to rubbish Adamu’s removal, it is obvious that the less than two weeks old group has been deflated and somewhat scattered; as its other members like Senators Binta Garba Mashi( APC Adamawa North), Abdullahi Yahaya (APC Kebbi North), Ibrahim Kurfi ( APC Katsina Central), Abu Ibrahim (APC Katsina South), Abdullahi Gumel ( APC Jigawa North) , Andrew Uchendu (APC River East) and Benjamin Uwajumogu ( APC Imo North), seem to have withdrawn into their private shells for now.
