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Ali Ndume, senator representing
Borno south, says he regrets supporting Bukola Saraki to emerge senate
president.
Speaking on Hard Copy, a Channels
Television programme, the lawmaker accused Saraki of targetting those who
oppose him.
In March 2017, the lawmaker was
suspended for “embarrassing” Saraki and Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi
west.
Ndume had demanded that the upper
legislative chamber investigate the allegation that a vehicle imported without
appropriate customs documents belong to Saraki while he also moved for a probe
into the allegations of certificate forgery levelled against Melaye.
During the television programme,
Maupe Ogun, the presenter, had asked the senator If he regrets supporting the
senate president and he said: “Yes, I do.
Look at the senate now, we have been reduced to unbearable level of
integrity, just because of few people, few person, that is wrong.
“I don’t want to be
individualistic about it. We put the leadership there for Saraki; if you want
me to be specific about it, and then it turns out to be another thing. We have
senator’s president now, instead of senate president.”
Ndume said his relationship with
Saraki went sour because of his love for the truth.
He maintained that he has a
cordial relationship with his colleagues at the upper legislative chamber.
“I speak the truth a lot even if
I’m alone, and I stand by it. We started with the issue of Magu, I was with you
on national TV and that is history now, then we came out and the second issue
was that of the car importation, and the issue of Dino Melaye’s certificate and
then I was shockingly suspended for 180 days
and it was not the committee that recommended that,” he said.
“My colleagues did not not know
about the report that was used to suspend me illegally and unconstitutionally
for 180 days. That’s why I went quietly to court and you see the response of my
people then.
“It is not fair for one among
equal to take himself up, and use, take advantage of the gavel to rule instead
of to lead, instead of to preside, that is what the constitution says. The
senate president is to preside, he doesn’t even have a vote, he has no voice.
By the time you accept being the senate president, you have lost your right to
some extent as a senator until the senate ties, that is when you come in to
break the ties. This is not the case, as senate president will say, ‘I direct
so so so and my members…’.
“I mean, it’s very unfortunate, I
personally did not expect this. That is how we got it wrong, because once an
individual thinks he owns the senate, and he dishes out the direction, and
dishes out what he thinks, you’ll always get it wrong… 108 heads are better
than one. But for now, senate at certain point is like Dino and Saraki. It is
very unfortunate.”
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