Twenty-eight Senators under the aegis of Senate Unity Forum, led by Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Wednesday walked out of senate proceedings and threatened to take legal action against Bukola Saraki.
PUNCH reports that the group staged the walk out after Saraki had administered oath of office and allegiance on 28 All Progressives Congress lawmakers, who were absent at the inauguration of the Eighth Senate. Senator Gemade and Marafa then raised a point of order demanding full integration of the SUF members who were absent from the formal inauguration on Tuesday.
After they were overruled, the 28 senators, including the APC choice candidate for the Senate Presidency, Ahmed Lawan, walked out an addressed a press conference.
Addressing the press on behalf of the group, Gemade said, ''Our right to participate in the election of the Senate President is a constitutional right which cannot be taken by any person or group of persons. The Clerk of the National Assembly (Salisu Maikasuwa), knowing full well that the quorum for election of the Senate President was not met, went ahead to conduct an election that shut the door against about 51 other senators. This will remain unacceptable until what would meet democratic parameters is done.
''The insinuations in some quarters that we boycotted the election is totally unfounded. As loyal party members, we would take all necessary political and legal means to strengthen our democracy and democratic process in line with the change that we promised our teeming supporters during our electioneering''
On Saraki's election he said,'' a quorum was not formed , which should be two-third of the senators present.”
''53 senators were out and the remaining 56 were not enough to elect the President of the Senate. That is a clear position that we take. We are not considering the attendance of that day to connote the quorum in the Senate because many Senators came there after the event was done''.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
