Barely two months after he was removed as the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ali Ndume has been suspended by the Senate for 6 months. The suspension of th
Barely two months after he was removed as the Leader of the Senate, Sen. Ali Ndume has been suspended by the Senate for 6 months. The suspension of the senator was based on the report of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions which recommended that the senator be suspended.
Ndume had asked the Senate to look into the allegations of vehicle importation against the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and the alleged certificate forgery against Sen. Dino Melaye. The committee was asked to investigate the allegation and invited Sen. Dino and Sen. Saraki to appear before it on Monday.
When Senator Ndume appeared before the committee, he stressed that he did not petition the President of the Senate or Senator Dino but only asked that the senate looked into the allegations to clear the name of the institution and save the integrity of the red chamber.
However when the Senator Samuel Anyanwu Committee on Ethics submitted its report, it stressed that Sen. Ndume lacked concrete evidence to have petitioned Saraki and Dino. The Committee said that the action of the former leader of the Senate dragged the name of the Senate and its president to disrepute and as such should be punished. The committee therefore recommended that the senator be suspended for 181 legislative days, equivalent of one calendar year.
However, Sen. Matthew Urhoghide pleaded that the penalty be reduced to six months rather than one year. Sen. Peter Nwoboshi seconded the motion to review the duration of the suspension to six months. The Senate thereafter adopted the review and suspended Senator Ndume for six months.
In January, Ndume was removed as the Leader of the Senate and replaced with Sen. Ahmed Lawan. No reason was given then for his removal except that the caucus agreed and sanctioned his replacement as leader.
Meanwhile, a former NBA chairman, Taidi Jonathan, Minna branch, has said that the Senate’s suspension of Ndume is illegal and that the Senate has gone beyond its authority on its decision to suspend Sen. Ali Ndume adding that the resolution was clearly an abuse of the Constitution.
“The suspension of Sen. Ali Ndume is ultra vires under the powers of the legislature in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” he contended.
According to him, Section 6 (6) (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution vests powers to impose any sanction or punishment in the Judiciary and to be exercised by courts of competent jurisdiction.
“Therefore, any provision in the Senate rules of procedure which imposes any punishment to be exercised by it ultra vires the judicial powers.” He also said that the suspension was a fundamental denial of the rights of Ndume’s constituents to representation in the National Assembly.
He urged the lawmakers to always put the interest of the country ahead of any personal consideration, so as to ensure peace, progress and political development of the nation.
Jonathan called for understanding and cordial working relationship among the three arms of government to enable Nigerians enjoy good governance
