Suspension: Saraki rules out early pardon for Ndume

Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has dashed the hope on early pardon and recall of suspended former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume, as he described calls to that effect as distractive.

This is even as thousands of pro-Senator Ali Ndume supporters barricaded the National Assembly premises earlier on Tuesday demanding that Senate revert its suspension of Senator Ndume.

Saraki indicated this much at the end of a marathon meeting held by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the Senate Caucus of the party at the Senate wing of the National Assembly Complex on Tuesday.

When asked to comment on clamour for recall of Senator Ndume from suspension, the Senate President suddenly looked serious averring, “Your question again is distracting from the issues. You have 108 senators here. And you have the National Chairman. Let us focus on national issues.

Ndume is currently serving a 6-month suspension penalty imposed on him on allegations that he attempted to expose the Senate President on purchase of an armoured vehicle with fake papers as well the certificate scandal revolving around one of his colleagues, Senator Dino Melaye.

The governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, had led a delegation on a visit to the Senate President some few days ago to intercede on pardon for Ndume.

Some protesters from the North-East zone had stormed the National Assembly complex earlier in the day, calling for recall of Senator Ndume among other requests they made including calling the attention of the National Assembly on the plight of the internally Displaced persons in the zone.

The Senate Caucus of APC) held a crucial meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party at the end of which all parties agreed to work for a united government focused on delivering on the promise of the party to the electorate.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the party, led members of the NWC to the meeting, which lasted for several hours while all members of the party’s caucus in the Senate were in attendance.

Oyegun and his deputy, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, during the meeting acknowledged the failure of APC to hold such a meeting since 22 months it took the reign of power, just as the leaders admitted that such a meeting was better late than never.

Oyegun and his Deputy at the meeting canvassed the need for all segments of APC in the executive, legislature and party structure to work together in unity and co-operation.

The APC leaders also urged the Senators to feel free to express their minds and that the party was ready to come out strongly and ensure that all issues causing disunity at all levels of government are addressed.

The party also briefed the Senators about the coming non-elective national convention and registration of members of the party.

According to reports, Senators who spoke at the meeting made a frank assessment of the situation of the party and the relationship between the executive, legislature and party leadership but expressed their support for the peace initiative of the NWC.

The Senators urged the party leadership to ensure that the process of engagement with members of the executive and legislature continues on a regular basis and that the party always make genuine intervention when issues come up.

On a brief interactive session with newsmen after the meeting, the Senate President expressed appreciation for the visit of the APC National Chairman and other party leaders.

He canvassed for more regular meeting of legislators with APC leaders as a means of addressing issues linking all the arms of government for progress.

He said: “First of all, let me thank the chairman and NWC for coming and it’s a good development because we are all part of one umbrella as a party. And whether there are issues or not, regular consultations between the legislative arm of government and the party is important.

“As I said yesterday, some of these issues that we have, I don’t believe that more fundamental issues are important to our people; issue of budget. Despite all the noise you heard last week, we still passed an amendment to the INEC law that had been there for over six or seven years.

“By this time next week, our Committee on Petroleum will lay the PIB which has never been done. We are focused on the major issues and we are not going to be distracted with that. And we are still going to do our work.

“It’s unfortunate but the most important thing is that a lot of stakeholders must respect these institutions. These institutions are there now and they are going to be there after and we should not allow our selfish interest to enable us to try and ridicule the institutions. The institution is what we have and we must ensure that we respect that.

“But for us in the Senate, we are focused. We will continue to do the work. Today we are talking about meningitis, looking at how we are going to find funding for that. So, none of these issues is distracting us from that. And I think we’ve shown that over the last few weeks”

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, called for an end to the face-off between the Legislature and the Executive.

He commended the legislature for what he described as “degree of cooperation” it has been extending to the executive and appealed to the various arms of government to maintain some level of respect and civility for one another.
He said: “Once that is done, I can assure you and assure the nation that in the next couple of weeks, we will have a new level of amity, cohesion, cooperation and mutual respect between the different arms of government and the party; the executive, the national assembly and the party.

“We have assurance that the budget is going on and is going on very well. I might as well say it and I should have said it when we were inside; that the report I get, or the briefing I get from the minister of budget is that the National Assembly has been very, very cooperative in the interactions between both his ministry and also between the different ministries and the National Assembly.

“One appeal I have to make that it is necessary for all levels of government to maintain some level of respect and civility to each other.

“And my appeal is as we start now the process of reconstructing relationships and consultations, there should be what I will call a ceasefire in terms of the kind of abuse that is used all round on one institution of government or the other even principal parties of these institutions”.

Meanwhile, thousands of pro-Senator Ali Ndume supporters who barricaded the National Assembly premises earlier on Tuesday demanded that Senate revert its suspension of Senator Ali Ndume who was suspended last week for 6 months.

The protesters mostly Internally Displaced Persons from Ndume’s constituency in Maiduguri, trooped to the National Assembly enmass chanting songs and displaying placards urging the Senate to revert the suspension.

The internally displaced persons who earlier gathered at the Unity Fountain Square in Abuja vowed to stay put for one month until their senator is recalled back to the Senate.

The Senate had on Wednesday last week as recommended by its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, suspended Senator Ali Ndume for raising allegations made against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki by an online medium over importation of N298 million Jeep into the country without payment of required customs duty and Senator Dino Melaye over alleged first degree certificate forgery.

But the Southern Borno protesters who carried placards with different inscriptions, condemned the suspension in its entirety, declaring that Ndume, as far as they are concerned, did not commit any offence to warrant such suspension which to them, was illegal, undemocratic and self-serving, shouting “Give us our Ndume! Ndume we need in NASS! Saraki is a curse to democracy!

Addressing the press on the protest at the main entrance of the National Assembly blocked by the protesters, the National Chairman of Southern Borno People, Hon. Musa Ali, declared that the people of the Senatorial District would not allow their senator to be out of the Senate for six months, which according to him, would be too unbearable for his constituents who have been benefiting and surviving from Ndume’s responsive representation over the years.

“We cannot allow our senator to be out for six months as annoyingly decided by the Senate last week. Where do the Senators want IDPs who have been surviving through Ndume’s magnanimity run to, what about these hundreds of constituents benefitting from the senator? Where do they want them to run to?

“Boko Haram insurgents pursued most of these people you are seeing away from their various homes in Southern Borno but have been getting needed assistance and support from their Senator, Ali Ndume, only for the Senate to now pursue their helper from his place of help (Senate). This to us is unacceptable and must be revisited by the Senate”, he declared.