Saraki Fails Nigeria, Can’t Remain Senate President – Ndume

Sen. Ali Ndume, (APC-Borno South) has said Bukola Saraki has
failed the nation and also has no justification to remain as senate
president since he has defected to the opposition party.

He said that Saraki should know that he could not “have his cake
and eat it’.

Ndume, said at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja
on Sunday, that Saraki lost all rights to retain the seat since he
had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said the only thing that could save Saraki from being
impeached and remain as President of the Senate, was a vote of
confidence from his colleagues.

“I think that is the only thing he can do may be; he did that
before, let him try it; let him call for vote of confidence from
us, his colleagues.

“I assure you that he will not get the majority, “Ndume said,
adding that he was disappointed in Saraki.

He described the statement credited to some politicians that
Saraki could only be impeached by two third of members of the
house, as not only wrong, but also a total misconception.

The Senator stressed that since Saraki decided to leave the APC
for PDP, he should have left the position as he could not be in a
minority party and be President of the Senate.

Ndume recalled that as minority leader in the House of
Representatives when he defected to PDP from the All Nigeria
Peoples Party (ANPP), he resigned from the position without being
asked to do so.

He said it was natural that he left the position because he
could not move from the minority to the majority and still be a
minority leader.

He said Saraki could therefore, not move from majority to
minority and still be the President of the Senate.

Ndume noted that there should only be one Senate President who
is supposed to come from the majority political party, adding that
it was an aberration and abnormal for someone in the minority to
lead the majority.

“I am still thinking and hoping that Saraki will do the right
thing and the right thing is for him to relinquish that position
for the majority to preside,“ he said.

Ndume said the Senate under the leadership of Saraki had failed
Nigerians.

Ndume adding that Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House
of Representatives, had privatised the legislative arm of
government.

“I really want to admit that we have failed in our
responsibility to the people somehow, but we the members are not
responsible for that.

“It is more of the responsibility of the leadership that shut
down the Senate abruptly because of personal issues.

President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki

“It is very unfortunate. The Senate is the Nigerian Senate, it
is not the senator’s Senate; it is not Saraki’s senate,” he
said.

Ndume added that it was very unfortunate that the Nigerian
National Assembly had been reduced to Saraki and Dogara.

He further added that Saraki and Dogara had privatised and
personalised the Nigerian legislative arm of government which
should not be the case.

“They have privatised and personalised the institution, and the
reason we were elected to be there, had been relegated to the
background.

“This is very unfortunate, but I want Nigerians to know that the
Senate had not been shut down by the Senators or members of House
of Representatives.

“The Senate was shut down by Saraki and Dogara and they should
be held responsible for that,”Ndume added.

The Senator while expressing sadness that the Senate was yet to
reconvene, stressed that the Senate must move on without
Saraki.

He, however, said that he had made concerted efforts to see how
the senate could reconvene, especially to consider about five
matters of national importance, but without success.

According to him, the matters were abandoned by the National
Assembly before it proceeded on the long recess.

“We tried everything to get the Senate President or the
leadership to reconvene the Senate, but that had not been
successful,” the lawmaker said.

Commenting on the recent registration of 23 more political
parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Ndume said, “It is the immaturity in our democracy that led to the
volume of parties we have”.

“If our democracy is getting matured, it will shave the parties
to a point where we will have may be two, three or four political
parties.

“I am an advocate of having less than five political parties,
because some of these parties are not parties actually,” he
said.

He noted that some of the political parties did not have offices
in Abuja and the 36 states of the federation as required by
law.

“I do not know what happened to the law, and because the law
that set up INEC clearly defined the procedure for forming a
political party.

“The law says you must have office in each of the 774 Local
Government and office in all state capitals, including the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT),” he said.

He noted that such office according to the law, must meet
certain standard.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the recent
registration of 23 more political parties by INEC had brought the
total number of parties in the country to 91.

Saraki while leaving the APC in July on his twitter handle,
said: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive
consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the APC.”

Saraki had alleged continued persecution as one of the reasons
he was leaving the APC.

Mr Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, while reacting
to the development on Aug. 14, said that Nigerian Senate could not
be subjected to minority rule.

He noted that there was nowhere in the world where minority had
presided over majority in the house, adding that the honourable
thing for Saraki to do after defecting to the opposition PDP, was
to step down.

Sen. Ali Ndume, (APC-Borno South) has said Bukola Saraki has
failed the nation and also has no justification to remain as senate
president since he has defected to the opposition party.

He said that Saraki should know that he could not “have his cake
and eat it’.

Ndume, said at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja
on Sunday, that Saraki lost all rights to retain the seat since he
had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said the only thing that could save Saraki from being
impeached and remain as President of the Senate, was a vote of
confidence from his colleagues.

“I think that is the only thing he can do may be; he did that
before, let him try it; let him call for vote of confidence from
us, his colleagues.

“I assure you that he will not get the majority, “Ndume said,
adding that he was disappointed in Saraki.

He described the statement credited to some politicians that
Saraki could only be impeached by two third of members of the
house, as not only wrong, but also a total misconception.

The Senator stressed that since Saraki decided to leave the APC
for PDP, he should have left the position as he could not be in a
minority party and be President of the Senate.

Ndume recalled that as minority leader in the House of
Representatives when he defected to PDP from the All Nigeria
Peoples Party (ANPP), he resigned from the position without being
asked to do so.

He said it was natural that he left the position because he
could not move from the minority to the majority and still be a
minority leader.

He said Saraki could therefore, not move from majority to
minority and still be the President of the Senate.

Ndume noted that there should only be one Senate President who
is supposed to come from the majority political party, adding that
it was an aberration and abnormal for someone in the minority to
lead the majority.

“I am still thinking and hoping that Saraki will do the right
thing and the right thing is for him to relinquish that position
for the majority to preside,“ he said.

Ndume said the Senate under the leadership of Saraki had failed
Nigerians.

Ndume adding that Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House
of Representatives, had privatised the legislative arm of
government.

“I really want to admit that we have failed in our
responsibility to the people somehow, but we the members are not
responsible for that.

“It is more of the responsibility of the leadership that shut
down the Senate abruptly because of personal issues.

President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki

“It is very unfortunate. The Senate is the Nigerian Senate, it
is not the senator’s Senate; it is not Saraki’s senate,” he
said.

Ndume added that it was very unfortunate that the Nigerian
National Assembly had been reduced to Saraki and Dogara.

He further added that Saraki and Dogara had privatised and
personalised the Nigerian legislative arm of government which
should not be the case.

“They have privatised and personalised the institution, and the
reason we were elected to be there, had been relegated to the
background.

“This is very unfortunate, but I want Nigerians to know that the
Senate had not been shut down by the Senators or members of House
of Representatives.

“The Senate was shut down by Saraki and Dogara and they should
be held responsible for that,”Ndume added.

The Senator while expressing sadness that the Senate was yet to
reconvene, stressed that the Senate must move on without
Saraki.

He, however, said that he had made concerted efforts to see how
the senate could reconvene, especially to consider about five
matters of national importance, but without success.

According to him, the matters were abandoned by the National
Assembly before it proceeded on the long recess.

“We tried everything to get the Senate President or the
leadership to reconvene the Senate, but that had not been
successful,” the lawmaker said.

Commenting on the recent registration of 23 more political
parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Ndume said, “It is the immaturity in our democracy that led to the
volume of parties we have”.

“If our democracy is getting matured, it will shave the parties
to a point where we will have may be two, three or four political
parties.

“I am an advocate of having less than five political parties,
because some of these parties are not parties actually,” he
said.

He noted that some of the political parties did not have offices
in Abuja and the 36 states of the federation as required by
law.

“I do not know what happened to the law, and because the law
that set up INEC clearly defined the procedure for forming a
political party.

“The law says you must have office in each of the 774 Local
Government and office in all state capitals, including the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT),” he said.

He noted that such office according to the law, must meet
certain standard.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the recent
registration of 23 more political parties by INEC had brought the
total number of parties in the country to 91.

Saraki while leaving the APC in July on his twitter handle,
said: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive
consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the APC.”

Saraki had alleged continued persecution as one of the reasons
he was leaving the APC.

Mr Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, while reacting
to the development on Aug. 14, said that Nigerian Senate could not
be subjected to minority rule.

He noted that there was nowhere in the world where minority had
presided over majority in the house, adding that the honourable
thing for Saraki to do after defecting to the opposition PDP, was
to step down.