Senate Standing Rules: Lawan, lawmakers keep vigil

From Fred Itua, Abuja

As countdown to the swearing in of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president and the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly draws near, the leadership of the ninth Senate has intensified efforts to frustrate any plan to alter the standing orders.

The recent fight back by the leadership, Daily Sun gathered, is a reaction to desperate moves by some aspirants.

According to the Senate Standing Rules, 2022, as amended, not all the 109 senators-elect are eligible to vie for the Senate president and the Senate deputy president.

The standing order defines eligibility in terms of ranking. The Senate Standing Order 3, Rule 2 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2022, provides that the nomination of presiding officers and appointments of principal officers and other officers shall be by the ranking of senators.

“Nomination of senators to serve as presiding officers and appointments of principal officers and other officers of the Senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators in determining ranking, the following order shall apply.

“Senators returning based on number of times re-elected; senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; and senators elected as senators for the first time.”

Based on the rules and in tandem with best practices across the world, senators-elect like David Umahi, Adams Oshiomhole and Abdulaziz Yari, are ineligible to contest.

However, Daily Sun gathered that the first timers are questioning the constitutionality of the Standing Orders, insisting that it is inferior to the 1999 Constitution.

A credible source told Daily Sun that the fresh senators-elect who are contesting, are mounting pressure on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to throw the contest open. The source added that plans were underway to nominate the freshers on the day of inauguration, despite the clear position of the Senate Standing Orders.

As part of moves to counter them, the Senate leadership, led by its President, Ahmad Lawan, has concluded plans to authenticate the Standing Orders in a Federal Court.

The move, Daily Sun further gathered, will fence off any desperate moves by aspirants to force an amendment before the expiration of the 9th National Assembly.

The source said Lawan has vowed not to be part of any move to abuse an existing arrangement, where only ranking senators are eligible to contest the positions of the president of the Senate and the deputy.

It was learnt that the leadership and members have resolved to keep a ‘vigil’ in the remaining days of the 9th National Assembly, to prevent a repeat of what transpired in 2015, when Bukola Saraki, in connivance with the clerk to the Senate, allegedly forged the Standing Orders, which was used in electing him and Ike Ekweremadu.

In a chat with Daily Sun, an aspirant for the position of the president of the Senate, Mohammed Ali Ndume, said no amendment can happen before the expiration of the ninth National Assembly.

Ndume, who heads the Senate Committee on Army, said no law forbids any senator-elect from contesting, but added that it would be in the order of ranking.

A member of the opposition and one of the longest serving senators who recently got re-elected, told Daily Sun they’ve resolved to attend every sitting until the end of the 9th Assembly.

He said: “They’re taking us for a ride and we’re waiting for them. In 2015, the Peoples Democratic Party and Saraki goofed when they allowed Godswill Akpabio to be appointed minority leader of the Senate. That was an abuse and it actually set this current agitations in motion.

“We know their plans. Lawan is not ready to do what they want and they know. They’re banking on a day before the end of this Assembly when Lawan will not preside. They intend to bring a motion on that day, suspend the rules and pass the amendment in a hurry.

“That’s one of their plans. We’ve been briefed and we won’t take the threat likely. We will continue to attend every sitting and wait until the end of the day’s proceedings. If we allow them have their way, they’ll destroy the Senate. I’m also calling on my colleagues to remain vigilant, especially on the day of inauguration. When they’re given the Senate Standing Order, they must check well to ensure a fake one has not been produced.”