Group heads to court over ‘plot’ to elect first-term lawmaker as senate president

A group known as the Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD) says there is a move to install a first-term lawmaker as senate president.

In a statement on Wednesday, Aliyu Abdullahi, national convener of the group, said his organisation has filed a suit at the federal high court in Abuja, to prevent the plot from happening.

“We are waiting for a date for the commencement of proceedings,” he said.

By the senate standing rules and precedents, ranking lawmakers are elected as presiding officers.

The intention of the ranking provision in the constitution is to allow new lawmakers to tap from the knowledge of experienced lawmakers and engender proper legislative processes, which new lawmakers may not be exposed to.

Abdullahi said Ahmad Lawan, the senate president, and Ovie Omo-Agege, his deputy, should block such a move by preventing a “secret” amendment to the standing orders of the upper legislative chamber.

“We want to state categorically that this move cannot stand because it is a clear violation of section 311 of the 1999 (as amended, fifth alteration, No. 8),” he said.

“Recall that the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) (No.8) Act, 2023 alters sections 54, 96 and 311 of the constitution to stipulate a quorum of at least two-thirds of members-elect for inauguration or first sitting of the Senate, house of representatives and state houses of assembly, respectively and also mandates the use of existing standing orders of each legislative house at the inauguration.

“We warn that nobody should surreptitiously alter or produce any fake aspect of the standing orders without approval and adoption by members.

“It is therefore undemocratic for outgoing legislators who benefitted from the ‘ranking’ provision to now be planning to scuttle the implementation of such a beautiful piece of legislation.”