UPDATE: Opposition senators quit plenum due to insecurity and Buhari impeachment
Senators from the opposition parties left the plenary session on Wednesday.
The more than 20 lawmakers left the chamber after Senate Speaker Ahmad Lawan rejected a motion on insecurity and the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.
After spending more than two hours behind closed doors, lawmakers began the day's plenary session.
"The Senate deliberated behind closed doors on issues relating to the functioning of the Senate in particular and the National Assembly in general", announced Mr. Lawan at the end of the executive.
They would continue to begin their work on the day Senate Minority Leader Philip Aduda raised a point of order, reminding the Senate of its resolutions made after the closed session.
Mr. Aduda said the Senate was supposed to address the problem of insecurity in the country and the efforts made so far to reduce the threat.
He also reminded his colleagues that they were supposed to “give the president an ultimatum to resolve the insecurity issues in the country and give notice of impeachment if the demands are not met.”
However, he was quickly interrupted by the President of the Senate who said he had not followed the correct procedure for raising a point of order.
"First, you are supposed to quote the command. Second, you are supposed to discuss the matter with me.
"...And we're already past that stage," he said, noting that they moved on to other activities for the day.
Murmurs followed and PDP senators – alongside other opposition party lawmakers – were seen leaving their seats, shouting and running out of the chamber.
Buhari must goAs they walked out of the room, the seemingly angry senators chanted the famous solidarity song "all we say". Only this time they were calling the president out.
“Whatever we say, Buhari must go,” they chanted as they made their way to the press center to address reporters.
Six-month ultimatumMr. Aduda told reporters that they had given President Buhari a six-month ultimatum to tackle the insecurity or else he would be "shown the way out".
He revealed that they had agreed in the closed session to discuss the insecurity in the country, but Mr Lawan frustrated their efforts to discuss it in plenary. READ ALSO: Insecurity: Nigerian Government Shuts Unity School Amid Ongoing Review
"During the closed session, we agreed that we had to give the president an ultimatum that if he did not comply with our resolutions on how to deal with insecurity within six weeks, we would initiate impeachment proceedings against him.
“We expected the Speaker of the Senate to inform the public about what we discussed in camera, but he did not. He also ruled out our point of order to discuss it,” said he said.
A carefree APCThe exit of opposition deputies from the chamber did not stop the plenary session.
CPA senators would continue the business of the day.
Minutes after the aggrieved lawmakers left, Lawan suggested they adjourn shortly to have a Minority Leader second the issues under deliberation, but Kebbi Senator Bala Na'Allah quickly declared that it was not necessary.
“If you skim through this book,” he said, holding up the Rules of the Senate booklet, “there is no place that says we have to have minority support to move a motion.”< /p>
His comment was backed and seconded by Kwara Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
Agreeing, Mr. Lawan noted that the presence of a minority to support motions is a convention, not a law. He also said that the parliament could function without the said convention.
At the time of writing, the plenary is underway with no member of the opposition party supporting the issues under discussion.
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Senators from the opposition parties left the plenary session on Wednesday.
The more than 20 lawmakers left the chamber after Senate Speaker Ahmad Lawan rejected a motion on insecurity and the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari.
After spending more than two hours behind closed doors, lawmakers began the day's plenary session.
"The Senate deliberated behind closed doors on issues relating to the functioning of the Senate in particular and the National Assembly in general", announced Mr. Lawan at the end of the executive.
They would continue to begin their work on the day Senate Minority Leader Philip Aduda raised a point of order, reminding the Senate of its resolutions made after the closed session.
Mr. Aduda said the Senate was supposed to address the problem of insecurity in the country and the efforts made so far to reduce the threat.
He also reminded his colleagues that they were supposed to “give the president an ultimatum to resolve the insecurity issues in the country and give notice of impeachment if the demands are not met.”
However, he was quickly interrupted by the President of the Senate who said he had not followed the correct procedure for raising a point of order.
"First, you are supposed to quote the command. Second, you are supposed to discuss the matter with me.
"...And we're already past that stage," he said, noting that they moved on to other activities for the day.
Murmurs followed and PDP senators – alongside other opposition party lawmakers – were seen leaving their seats, shouting and running out of the chamber.
Buhari must goAs they walked out of the room, the seemingly angry senators chanted the famous solidarity song "all we say". Only this time they were calling the president out.
“Whatever we say, Buhari must go,” they chanted as they made their way to the press center to address reporters.
Six-month ultimatumMr. Aduda told reporters that they had given President Buhari a six-month ultimatum to tackle the insecurity or else he would be "shown the way out".
He revealed that they had agreed in the closed session to discuss the insecurity in the country, but Mr Lawan frustrated their efforts to discuss it in plenary. READ ALSO: Insecurity: Nigerian Government Shuts Unity School Amid Ongoing Review
"During the closed session, we agreed that we had to give the president an ultimatum that if he did not comply with our resolutions on how to deal with insecurity within six weeks, we would initiate impeachment proceedings against him.
“We expected the Speaker of the Senate to inform the public about what we discussed in camera, but he did not. He also ruled out our point of order to discuss it,” said he said.
A carefree APCThe exit of opposition deputies from the chamber did not stop the plenary session.
CPA senators would continue the business of the day.
Minutes after the aggrieved lawmakers left, Lawan suggested they adjourn shortly to have a Minority Leader second the issues under deliberation, but Kebbi Senator Bala Na'Allah quickly declared that it was not necessary.
“If you skim through this book,” he said, holding up the Rules of the Senate booklet, “there is no place that says we have to have minority support to move a motion.”< /p>
His comment was backed and seconded by Kwara Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe.
Agreeing, Mr. Lawan noted that the presence of a minority to support motions is a convention, not a law. He also said that the parliament could function without the said convention.
At the time of writing, the plenary is underway with no member of the opposition party supporting the issues under discussion.
Support the integrity and credibility journalism of PREMIUM TIMES Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government. For free and continued access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider providing modest support to...What's Your Reaction?
