Eighty-three of the 109 members of the senate have passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Senate President Bukola Saraki.
In a motion moved by David Umaru (Niger), the senators pledged their loyalty to Saraki in the face of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for “false assets declaration”.
According to Umaru, “the senate remains solidly behind Saraki and other principal officers of the upper chamber”.
The Niger senator said the senate will not kowtow to forces outside the senate who were trying to use propaganda to rubbish the leadership.
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Seconding the motion, Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara) said: “If anybody thinks that he can influence the senate from the outside, he should go and sleep.”
Saraki put the motion to a voice vote to which the “ayes” carried the day.
Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara) was the lone voice shouting a loud “nay”.
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Jide Omoworare, a senator from Osun state who was Number 11 on the list, asked for his name to be removed.
Marafa, an ally of Ahmed Lawan, thereafter raised a point of order to quash the vote of the senate on the leadership, but he was ruled out of order.
He went into a rage, shouting and disrupting the sitting. The senate was held in a noisy hostage by Marafa for at least 30 minutes.
Intermittently, he would rise in anger throwing tantrums.
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The action by the 83 senators means only a minority of 26 senators have publicly expressed their opposition or indifference to the senate president’s plight.
His trial at the CCT continues on October 21.
Some of the senators who endorsed the leadership of Saraki are Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Ali Ndume (Borno), David Mark (Benue), Shehu sani (Kaduna), Buruji Kashamu (Ogun), and Stella Oduah (Anambra).
According to the list seen by TheCable, a majority of the senators are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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3 comments
A person is accused of impropriety and 83 of his colleagues rise up in solidarity with him, that is, to stand against trial for crimes alleged to have been committed.
To these fellows who are living off the cream of our national income, the executive and the judiciary are enemies of their personal interests. In their hypocrisy they pass laws that sentence kidnappers to death; but Falae has been released alive, whereas thousands of Nigerians go to an early grave because of corruption!
It is time for the common man to stand up against a thieving elite. What is good for the armed robber is equally good for the legislooter. Let them stand trial. Shikena.
Should we be surprised? Of course not. I can venture to say MOST of these guys are guilty of the same thing Saraki is accused of. Why would they not be empathetic to his plight? I beg, second base jare. I don’t know what it would take for this country to change, or, at least move.
Vote of Confidence? That shows that our Nation is truly in the hands of VAGABONDS. How can it be right that the upper legislative house is under the leadership of some one facing criminal charges? Please do not come up with that “b… S..t” that it is only an allegation and he remains innocent until proven guilty. The man has been indicted and that is more than good reason for him to step aside. All the 83 or so senators who passed this vote are “sobs”, period.