The Senate’s simmering issue reached a boiling point yesterday when Senate President Godswill Akpabio refused to address certain procedural irregularities, prompting Chief Whip Senator Ali Ndume to walk out during plenary.
Moments after the day’s session began, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) raised a point of order to call the Senate President’s attention to purported procedural faults he had made that had not yet been fixed.
Ndume specifically cited a motion made by Senator Sumaila Kawu (NNPP, Kano South) regarding the necessity of reopening the Nigeria-Niger border, which Akpabio permitted to be discussed without first having the motion’s formal title read aloud as is customary.
Ndume asked the Senate President to permit the rectification of any error made or noticed during plenary, citing Order 51 of the Senate Standing Rules. “This is the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senate, guided by laws, rules, and procedures,” he declared. Before continuing with the proceedings, any errors that are found throughout the course of any session must be fixed.
There are certain things we do in this chamber that are outside the rules, Mr. President. No one is too large to learn, sir.
When Akpabio declared Ndume out of order, he scarcely gave him a chance to finish his remarks, stating that his rulings on matters addressed could not be reviewed.
Relentlessly, a second senator, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), stood to defend Ndume’s decision by bringing up a further order. The Senate President also declared him to be out of order.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau swiftly invoked Order 16, which requires a substantial motion to be made by any senator wanting to correct or review an earlier decision made, in an effort to defuse the tension that was reaching a feverish level.
Ndume became enraged when Akpabio upheld this ruling, and he immediately brought up ruling 54 to request that the alleged error be corrected.
Once more, Akpabio dismissed his argument without giving him a chance to finish it.
Ndume gathered his documents and a few other belongings before storming out of the Senate room, declaring he had had enough.
The Senate met in closed session due of his blatantly unexpected behavior.
