Former Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara with the support of senators elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP intriguingly outsmarted his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC on Tuesday morning to emerge the Senate President.
Saraki was unanimously elected the President of 8th session of the Senate of Nigeria National Assembly by less than 60 senators who were present at the inauguration of the new session of the Senate and was subsequently sworn in by Abubakar Sani, the clerk of the National Assembly.
APC is in majority control of the Senate with 59 members while the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has 49 members.
Saraki was nominated by Sani Yarima, former governor of Zamfara state. Dino Melaye, from Kogi state, seconded his nomination.
The clerk of the national assembly, called for more nominations and there was none, he declared Bukola the duly elected president of the senate.
Ahmad Lawan, the preferred candidate of the APC, was not nominated, neither was he present at the chamber of the Senate during the election as the meeting of President Muhammadu Buhari with lawmakers elected on the platform of APC was supposed to be going on at the International Conference Centre which is several kilometres away from the National Assembly at the time of the sitting.
NE learnt that senators loyal to Saraki boycotted the peace meeting called by President Muhammadu Buhari on his arrival from Germany in the early hours of today.
The meeting was called to douse controversies generated by the emergence of Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, as APC’s candidates for Senate Presidency and Speakership in a straw poll conducted by the party at the weekend. But as some other legislators were heading for the Conference Centre, Senators supporting Saraki, especially those elected on the platform of PDP were already seated awaiting inauguration.
Indications that the inauguration will still hold emerged when the Clerk of the National Assembly entered the Chamber. Policemen and officials of other security had as early as 6:00 am blocked the road leading to the National Assembly to stop human and vehicular movement into the premises.
The emergence of Saraki as the Senate President was the actualisation of a coup plotted against the APC by PDP Senators elected on the platform of the opposition party on Monday night. At the end of the meeting which ended on Tuesday morning, the PDP Senators had endorsed the candidature Saraki as President of the Senate and Honourable Yakubu Dogara as the speaker of the House of Representatives.
This is against the preference of Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila respectively for the same position.
Saraki who defected from PDP to APC in 2013 promised to cede the position of Deputy Senate President to his former party to get the support of the opposition legislators.
Hence, it was not a surprise that former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekewremandu was promptly nominated for the position of Deputy Senate President after the election of Saraki. Senator Ekweremandu was subsequently elected the Deputy Senate President.
He defeated Ali Ndume of APC, garnering 54 votes as against Ndume’s 20. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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This is the beginning of true democracy in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteSEPARATION OF POWER.
So you think all that infighting is out of passion for serving the people? If yes then your naivety is basically why we are in this mess with morally bankrupt looters ruling us whilst you proclaim it is democracy. I weep
DeleteWho amongst them is clean if i may ask you? Even you?
DeleteOnce a PDP ,always a PDP!
Just wait and see.
Tinubu's greed is now effectively checkmated. I like this
ReplyDeleteThis is good for our democracy. Separation of power and indication of serious internal politicking.
ReplyDeleteDon't just read comments for reading sake, think the deeper meaning of any write up or comments.
ReplyDeleteDon't just reduced your self to the wording as seen, THINK DEEP
I don't think any good thing will come out of greed and deception. Posterity will be the judge.
ReplyDeleteParty supremacy is recognised everywhere. Once a party takes a stand, all members are supposed to follow. It is a crass sign of indiscipline when members start to flex their own muscles in defiance of party position. This is the first problem Buhari must deal with if he is a real politician, otherwise when 2019 comes and his party says "sai Buhari" other members of his party with the same ambition will say "baa Buhari", then he will realise that the indiscipline has come full circle.
ReplyDeleteGood morning @ Godwin. Na now you dey wake up. When PDP members defied your so called party supremacy, APC called them progressives. Do you now want to change the post in the middle of the match? My dear, this a progressive development. You people invented and canonized it, let's live with it.
Deletepls tell him ( Godwin) again so he can understand it better. Godwin, Do you understand what he said?
DeleteJumping from one party to the other to fulfill their personal ambition. I don't see these ones caring for the masses.
ReplyDeleteIt's good for democracy but obviously, Saraki placed much premium on is personal ambition rather than party loyalty.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am amazed at the turn of events that led to this election. Can it be said that the meeting with the president was called impromptu, or the inauguration was done impromptu. I wish I understand politics better
ReplyDeletePeople forget that the majority of Senators and Reps of APC are the so called "new PDP" that defected from PDP. They outnumber the ACN, ANPP and CPC Senators. Also they forget that at the last session, the election of Tambuwal as Speaker was done by the same ANPP, ACN and CPC cooperation with renegade PDP House members to defeat the Choice of the PDP which had been ceded to the South West. The chickens are only coming home to roost.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, there were less than 60 present but for the Deputy Senate seat, Ekweremadu got 54 while Ndume got 20!
ReplyDeleteSomething is off with the numbers!!!!
Wannan Ungulu ne da kan zabo.
ReplyDeletewere ever you see god'swill akpabio always be careful because he can manipulate things and he works with timing, just look at the timing, meeting with Buhari and manipulation is going on.
ReplyDeleteyou think it is godswill akpabio???, these guys just outsmart themselves, just watch as the drama unfolds
Deleteyou think it is godswill akpabio???, these guys just outsmart themselves, just watch as the drama unfolds
ReplyDelete