Senate removes Ndume as Majority Leader, replaces him with Lawan
The rumblings within the Senate leadership took a new twist on Tuesday claiming Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno south), hitherto Senate Majority Leader, as a major casualty.
Ndume’s removal, according to Senate President, Dr. Olusola Saraki, was in line with the decision of the caucus of the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upper chamber.
He was however replaced with Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC Yobe North), who before now was the party’s preferred candidate for the position but was schemed out during the inauguration of the 8th Senate in 2015.
Lawan had earlier contested the senate presidency alongside the incumbent, Bukola Saraki, whereas his inability to clink the post initially polarised the Senate.
To stem the crisis within its caucus, the leadership of the APC had recommended that Lawan be made the Senate Leader, a position Saraki rejected.
A twist however ensued when the Senate President, Bukola Saraki read a letter from the Senate APC caucus on the floor announcing Lawan as the new Majority leader of the 8th Senate.
The letter dated January 10, 2016, reads “His Excellency, the president of the Senate, notice of change of leadership. This is to inform your Excellency and the Senate that after several meetings held on Monday the ninth of January 2017.
“Upon due deliberation and consultation, the APC caucus of the Senate, herby wishes to notify you of the change in the leadership of the senate and the new senate leader, and is now Senator Ahmed Lawan representing Yobe North senatorial district, Yobe state.”
There are reports that senators had held a meeting on Monday night during which APC senators reportedly expressed displeasure with the antagonistic posture of Senator Ndume against the Senate’s decisions in recent time.
Citing Senate’s rejection of the embattled acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu as example, one of the senators disclosed that said Ndume’s contradictory remarks on the resolution to State House reporters few days after, was totally in bad taste, hence, the need for his removal.
Ndume, according to reports, was alleged to have knowledge of financial impropriety on the North-East Development Fund involving the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, upon which the Senate called for the latter’s immediate removal by President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, Ndume, who briefed Senate correspondents after the day’s plenary, said he was shocked by the sudden development.
He said as Senate Leader, he led the business of the Senate from the beginning of the session on Tuesday before he went to pray at about 12:45pm, only to be confronted with the sudden development by journalists.
He said: “Let me say I don’t have much to say because actually I was leading the business of the Senate and when it was like quarter to one, as usual, I asked my deputy to sit in for me while I go to pray. On coming back, I discovered that the session is over and one of your colleagues approached me and said ‘leader, what happened?’ and I said what happened and he said there has been announcement in the change of leadership I said I didn’t know.
“At this point, that is the position. I didn’t know that there was change of leadership because I was not there I went for prayers and I didn’t know what actually happened and I cannot say much now.”
