In this report, CHIBUZO UKAIBE, explores the intrigues behind the shock removal of Senate leader, Senator Ali Ndume
The shocked removal of Senator Ali Ndume as leader of the Senate, last Tuesday, is causing a lot of ripples not just in the upper chamber but in the political circuit.
The senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had on their resumption day after a last year’s break, removed Ali Ndume as their leader and replaced him with Sen Ahmed Lawan.
Like a well crafted script, Ndume had stepped out of the chamber to observe his early afternoon prayer when the Senate President Bukola Saraki, also a member of the party, read the sack letter sent to him by the APC senate caucus.
Ndume’s first response to the announcement was shock. He noted he was oblivious of what led to the decision or where the meeting was held to remove him, especially after he had attempted to resign three times for the sake of unity among the lawmakers.
However, in a subsequent reaction, the senator gave insights into why he was removed.
The Magu, Babachir connection
Checks reveal that Ndume’s travails may be linked to circumstances surrounding the factor between the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the upper chambers rejection of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Chairman.
His position on the fate of Magu was at variance with that of the senate and he made it public.
Senate had rejected Magu’s following a report by the State Security Service which accused the acting EFCC chairman of corruption. However another report by the same security agency advised that Magu be confirmed in light of his sterling performance since he started working in acting capacity.
But Ndume had stirred the hornets nest when he claimed that the Senate neither rejected nor indicted the officials, prompting a counter reaction by the Senate’s spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi.
However, Senator Dino Melaye had said it on channels about two weeks ago that the Senate will deal with Ndume for backing Magu and Babachir when Senate has not for once conceal it’s hatred for the duo.
Giving insight to why he was removed, Senator, Ndume, in an exclusively with PREMIUM TIMES, confirmed that he was removed because he insisted that the Senate did not follow the proper procedure before declaring the rejection of Magu’s nomination.
He added “What I said was that for us (Senate) to claim to have a rejected a nominee sent to us by the president, we have to follow the right procedure, and observe our rules,” the senator said.
“The nominee should have been called into the chamber and presented before senators who will then openly vote on whether to accept or reject his or her nomination.
“In the case of Magu, that was not done. We only had a closed-door session and when we emerged the Senate spokesperson claimed that he had been rejected. I had to set the record straight by saying we never rejected the nominee. This is because you don’t accept or reject a nominee at a closed session.
“Öur votes and proceedings are there as evidence of my claims.”
He continued “I was surprised that such a simple and harmless clarification could rattle and anger some of my colleagues. I thought it wasn’t a big deal to disagree over issues. I didn’t realise that that simple matter would snowball into a plot to remove me.
“The other day, somebody mentioned to me that the Senate President had commissioned Dino Melaye to collect signatures to remove me. I didn’t pay much attention to the information because I actually thought it was a joke or a rumour.
“I didn’t feel that disagreeing with colleagues, and sharing my understanding of what transpired at our closed session was an offence, grievous enough to cause my removal.”
Sacking of Saraki’s ally, and return to “APC’s” original plan
Before now, not many pundits would contemplate that Ndume would be edge out under the leadership the Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki, considering how integral the former senate leader was to Saraki’s emergence and all through the turbulence that arose thereafter.
Although Ndume lost the senate presidency to Saraki, against the wishes of the party, Saraki had stuck with Ndume (along side other senators especially his deputy Ike Ekweremadu) to emerge leader of the senate.
Saraki had had to suffer months of legal action in court, for what some analysts described as calling the party’s bluff at the time.
Clearly, Besides Ndume’s loyalty to Saraki many believed his legislative experience counted in his favor.
Ali Ndume was a member of the Federal House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011 representing Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of ANPP.
He was unanimously elected minority leader in the lower house’s 6th Assembly in 2007.
In December 2010, barely 100 days to 2011 elections Ndume decamped to the PDP and as a result of this, the PDP re-opened the sale of nomination forms for the senate and Alhaji Sanda Garba, the only aspirant, stepped down for him.
However, he later teamed up with the new PDP (nPDP) along with 20 of his colleagues in what eventually became known today as the APC.
But for other pundits, the removal of Ndume could be part of realignment within the party.
It would be recall that at the height of Saraki’s battle with forces in his party over the senate leadership, the party hierarchy had asked him to appoint the Sen Lawan as senate leader amidst other appoints they recommended.
But unlike the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who accepted the party’s choices for principal office positions, Saraki refused.
Specifically, the national leadership of the APC had written to Saraki to cede four positions in the Senate to the SUF members loyal to the party. The positions are Deputy Senate President, Senate Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip.
The situation had snowballed into a protracted face-off between the leadership of the party and Saraki.
However at the turn of last year and with much fence-mending, the party hierarchy hosted the leadership of the National Assembly, signaling a new relationship with the lawmakers.
But Saraki has said insinuations that he sacrificed Ndume are not true.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, he said “There is no crisis in the National Assembly. Things like this do happen and as you said, the institution is bigger than everybody.
“I am sure that he (Ndume) and everybody else will always work for the interest of the institution and for the interest of the country. Everything is calm, solid and fine,” he said.
Ekweremadu next?
At the heart of the APC’s angst with Saraki was his the humiliation he caused the party over the emergence of Ekweremadu as his deputy.
Saraki easily rode to victory as Senate President on the back of the PDP senators who were majority in the chambers at the time of voting on June 9, 2015. Most of the APC senators were at the International Conference Center trying to sort out the crisis of confidence that had caused a split within.
It was almost an unforgivable sin, as the party kicked against a PDP senator serving as deputy senate president in an APC government. The situation culminated in a forgery case instituted by some senators against Saraki, Ekweremadu and two members of the National Assembly bureaucracy.
While the case was dropped over some concessions with the reassignment of committees, the shock removal of Ndume has renewed the moves to remove Ekweremadu or at best pressure him defect.
Ekweremadu, had upon his emergence as Saraki’s deputy maintained that he would not resign adding that he remains a member of the PDP.
Saraki, had in turn sustained the support of the PDP senators upon his refusal to let Ekweremadu go.
However Sen Kabiru Marafa, an ally of Mr. Lawan, the new majority leader, while celebrating the leadership change as “victory for APC”, also said that while the APC caucus agreed to allow Bala Na’Allah continue as Deputy Leader, he looked forward to Ekweremadu, decamping to APC.
Sen Marafa, a staunch member of the Unity Forum which kicked against Saraki’s emergence, was quoted as saying “The more the merrier,” he said, adding, “Ekweremadu is my friend, brother, boss and leader and enjoy good working relationship with him.”
However at plenary, 24 hours after the sacking of Ndume a plot by the lawmakers to reclaim the seat of the Deputy Senate President manifested.
Ndume while speaking on his removal said “I want to say that this Senate is an institution that we must protect. How do you protect the institution? It is to obey the rules and the tradition. If today, just like that, without telling somebody (about his offence) and he goes out; if it is Ndume today and it is (agreed to be) okay, it may be, God forbid, Ekweremadu tomorrow.”
However, Marafa, while moving a motion for the adoption of the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday’s plenary, urged Ekweremadu, who incidentally was presiding over the session, to defect to the APC.
The motion was seconded Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa West) who corroborated the call on the Deputy Senate President to join the APC.
Reacting however, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji (PDP, Ebonyi South), waved off the call for Ekweremadu’s defection as a joke.
Putting the motion on Tuesday’s ruling to vote, Ekweremadu, asked that “the other issue be duly removed,” a veiled reference to the call for his defection.
However his Special Adviser, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, added that Ekweremadu would remain in the PDP, stressing “My boss remains a bonafide and committed member of the PDP.”
However, both Sen Ahmed Makarfi and Sen Ali Modu Sheriff leaderships of PDP have also rubbished calls for Ekweremadu’s defection, adding that he got majority votes from both parties in the Senate.
Makarfi’s PDP said the current scenario is not strange in a democracy adding that “in the Second Republic, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Umezeoke was from opposition NPP while the Senate President was from the Ruling Party, the NPN, and both of them worked harmoniously with the cooperation of the Executive in moving the Country forward.”
Conclusion
While, some analysts see Ndume’s removal as sparking new realignments along party lines, there is no telling what it could signal for the executive.
If, as Ndume claims, his removal was against the backdrop of his stance on the Magu matter, then the verdict of the presidency on investigation it instituted into corruption allegations against Magu and the SGF would be instructive.