Senate Northern Caucus Removes Pro-Buhari Lawmaker as Chairman

• Omo-Agege apologises for attacking Senate

•Shehu Sani: Monkeys carted away N70m belonging to northern senators

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

As a fallout of his opposition to the Electoral Act amendment which provides for a change in order of elections, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nassarawa APC) was wednesday removed as the Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF).

His removal, according to an announcement by the forum, was due to financial mismanagement and mis-administration.
Abdullahi was replaced by Senator Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto APC).

This is as Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta APC) was scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics.
Adamu was one of the senators who opposed amendments to the election timetable on the grounds that President Muhammadu Buhari might be the target.

For claiming that the amendment was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari, Omo-Agege made a u-turn, and apologised to the Senate.

Nine lawmakers, including Adamu and Omo-Agege, had staged a walkout from proceedings last Wednesday when the Senate adopted the amendment which would cause the presidential elections to be conducted that.

Section 25 of the Electoral Act 2010 was amended by both chambers to provide for the National Assembly elections to be conducted first, followed by the governorship and state assemblies, and the presidential polls be conducted last, all on separate days.

The amendment, when signed into law, is expected to reduce the bandwagon effect of elections, and reduce the influence of state governors in picking state legislators.
The dissenting senators had alleged that the amendment was hurriedly passed’ with a pre-determined motive, and that it’s targeted at the president.

Two of the senators have however felt the heat, as Adamu, who was one of the ring leaders of the opposition to the amendment, was unceremoniously removed as the Chairman of the influential NSF, while Omo-Agege recanted and withdrew his comments.

Presiding, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, announced Adamu’s removal, while reading from a notice signed by the Public Relations Officer of the forum, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi APC).
It was addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki.

“This is to inform the Senate that the majority of members of NSF have removed Senator Adamu as Chairman of the NSF for financial mismanagement and mis-administration. We announce his replacement with Senator Aliyu Wamakko immediately. Find the attached names and signatories of members,” it read.
Earlier at the plenary, Omo-Agege citing an order of personal explanation, and tendered an apology to the Senate.
He referred to a point of order of Tuesday whose prayer mandated the ethics eommittee to grill him over his comments.

“Yesterday, I was not here (plenary). My colleague and my brother, Melaye brought a motion under Privileges which is in Order 15 of the Senate Standing Rules. Mr. President, I rose as a consequent on the debate on the sequence of elections in the Electoral Act amendment which was passed last week Wednesday.

“In the course of that debate and subsequent upon that, I addressed the media at the press centre. I made certain remarks during that interview which my attention has been drawn to. The comments are offensive, not just to Melaye, but to the entire Senate.
“I rise to apologise to the leadership and the entire Senate for those remarks. I take back whatever I said,” Omo-Agege said.

Ekweremadu lauded his courage to tender an apology.
“It takes a lot of courage for a man to apologise. The matter has already been referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. I urge the committee to quickly look into it so that we can have the report as quickly as possible. Then we will take a decision,” he said.
Briefing journalists after the plenary, Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, attempted to extricate the Senate from the fate of the oust Chairman of the NSF, particularly as the allegations of financial mismanagement have not been proven.

He added that it was a decision taken by the majority of the NSF.
“It was a simple action, as northern senators, we are not guided by any constitution,” he said and emphasised that he is not the spokesperson for the NSF.
On Omo-Agege’s apology, Abdullahi explained that the process to face the Ethics Committee has already begun, and must be concluded.

“One of our colleagues has come up to say he spoke some falsehoods. We must be careful not to do anything that would reflect on the credibility of the institution.

“This issue (amendment) emanated from the House of Representatives, not our chamber. It is a process, if anyone feels worried about it, there are steps, that’s what politics is about,” he added.
Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna APC) also speaking to journalists alluded to a missing N70 million as the financial mismanagement issue, which led to Adamu’s removal.

The money, he said, was inherited from the NSF in the seventh assembly.
“They don’t want this to be said, but I think we should be clear.
“The rumours going round whether it is true, but I believe most of the senators know, is the fact there were allegations that some monkeys raided the farm house of some of the executives in northern senators forum and carted away some of these monies,” Sani said.

He however said it is necessary for Adamu to be able to defend himself.
Also shedding more light on Adamu’s removal, Melaye who was accosted by journalists, said the forum decided to change its leadership for several reasons, asides those listed on the notice.

One of the reasons, Melaye said, was that the forum was inactive and was becoming moribund, and positions were being taken without consultation with members of the forum.

Adamu, however, refused to speak to journalists who besieged his office seeking his side of the story.

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