Nzeribe, Ndume, Omo-Agege… senators who got suspended by colleagues for ‘misdemeanours’

On Tuesday, the senate suspended Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi central, for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded by N3 trillion.

This happened after a rowdy session that lasted for more than three hours on the floor of the chamber.

The upper legislative chamber suspended the lawmaker after a motion on privilege was moved by Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west.

At the weekend, Ningi stirred a controversy when he made the allegation and said “huge damage” has been done to the north and the entire country through the budget.

Ningi insisted on his claim, saying he wasn’t afraid of suspension.

Over the past two decades, several senators have been suspended from the upper chamber of the national assembly.

Here is a list of senators who have faced suspension from the senate and the reasons why.

JOSEPH WAKU 

Waku, a lawmaker from Benue state, was suspended by the senate in 2000 after he stirred a major controversy in the country.

The senator suggested that a military coup would be preferable to allowing former President Olusegun Obasanjo to continue as a dictator. 

Waku criticised Obasanjo’s administration and described it as the worst in Nigeria’s history. His comments resulted in widespread condemnation and subsequent suspension by the senate.

He died on February 3, 2019.

ARTHUR NZERIBE 

Nzeribe, a lawmaker from Imo state, was suspended indefinitely in November 2002 by then-Senate President Pius Anyim over allegations of N22 million fraud.

He died in 2022 at the age of 83.

ALI NDUME 

In 2017, the upper legislative chamber suspended Ndume, a senator representing Borno south, for six months for “embarrassing” then Senate President Bukola Saraki and Dino Melaye, a former senator representing Kogi west.

Ndume had asked the senate to investigate the allegation that the upper chamber was exacting vengeance on Hameed Ali, former comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), because of a seized bullet-proof car allegedly owned by Saraki.

The Borno senator also demanded that Melaye be probed for certificate forgery.

Saraki and Melaye were later cleared of the allegations by a senate panel.

OVIE OMO-AGEGE 

Omo-Agege, a lawmaker from Delta state, was suspended by the senate in 2018 after he kicked against the election reordering bill.

Although the lawmaker later apologised for his stand, he still went to court to get a restraining order against any move by the senate to suspend him.

His action was said to have angered some of his colleagues, who pushed for his suspension.

NINGI 

The senate suspended Abdul Ningi, on Tuesday, for three months for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded by N3 trillion. He subsequently resigned as chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF).