Suspension: How Ndume incurred Senate’s wrath

The Senate on Wednesday wielded a big stick against its former Leader, Muhammed Ali Ndume, placing him on six-month suspension with immediate effect.

It would be the second offensive the Senate launched against Ndume, the first being when he was removed as the Senate Leader ostensibly on the strong stance he has been taking on national issues.

Ndume began to get into trouble with the Senate leadership over his pro-executive stance most especially his open eagerness to defend the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu

The former Senate Majority Leader is believed to be close to President Muhammadu Buhari while the Senate leadership felt that it may not be safe with Ndume as the leader.

He drew the ire of Senators when he challenged the Senate’s decision to reject Magu after President Buhari forwarded his name to the Senate for confirmation.

Ndume took to the media to fault the procedures used by the Senate to reject Magu, insisting that the Senate was wrong to have rejected the acting EFCC Chairman based on the DSS Report without giving him chance of fair hearing.

Speaking with the media shortly after his removal as Majority Leader, Ndume said: “The nominee, (Magu) should have been called into the chamber and presented before senators who will then openly vote on whether to accept or reject
his or her nomination.

“In the case of Magu, that was not done. We only had a closed-door session and when we emerged, the Senate spokesperson claimed that he had been rejected.

I had to set the record straight by saying we never rejected the nominee. This is because you don’t accept or reject a nominee at a closed session.

“Ï was surprised that such a simple and harmless clarification could rattle and anger some of my colleagues.

I thought it wasn’t a big deal to disagree over issues. I didn’t realise that that simple matter would snowball into a plot to remove me.

However, Ndume had said his support for Magu was because he came from his Senatorial district and that President Buhari preferred him as the EFCC Chairman because of his commitment to war against corruption in Nigeria.

Even when the Senate refused to confirm Magu for the second time, Ndume again took to the media to castigate the stance by the Senate, stating that even Saraki has no business presiding over the Senate because he still has court
cases pending against him.