“I Walked Out Of Plenary Session Over Niger Republic Crisis” – Senator Ndume

By Akinwale Kasali

Senator Ali Ndume, Chief Whip of the Senate, has debunked the storyline that he walked out of Plenary on Tuesday over the Senate President’s method of handling issues at Plenary.

He said his action had nothing to do with Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, but necessitated by two things – a discussion on the closure of the boarder between Nigeria and Niger Republic, and the observance of his prayer time. Ndume is a Muslim.

Speaking on the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, Hausa Service,  the Senator who represents Borno South Senatorial District explained that the rationale behind his departure was related to his decision to leave during the discussion of a topic concerning the closure of Nigeria’s borders.

He explained that the situation stemmed, “when Senator Kawu Sumaila proposed a motion which he said was urgent on closing the border between Nigeria and Niger.

“At first, it was argued that the motion was not urgent, but the President of the Senate let him finish what he wanted to say.

After hearing the motion, it was agreed that since it is related to security, it should be suspended.”

He said he intended to clarify the importance of the motion to the Senate, but the Senate President refused to grant him the chance to address the issue.

“I would like to clarify that the motion, although impactful, falls outside the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Senate.

“The closure of the border was not initiated by the President of Nigeria, but rather during his tenure as President of ECOWAS. As such, he has the authority to advocate on our behalf.

“In order to address this matter, it is imperative to involve the President of our nation, but I was not afforded the opportunity to convey this message.

“While this was happening, it coincided with the time of prayer, prompting my departure. Consequently, my colleagues misconstrued my exit, and the journalists changed the meaning of my exit,” Ndume said.

It would be recalled that during  the plenary session, Ndume raised concerns that he believed were violations within the Senate.

He had used a point of order to draw the Senate President’s attention to what he perceived as “procedural infringements” taking place in the Chambers.

This action went against established parliamentary procedures as Akpabio interrupted Ndume’s speech and, at that point, the Senator left the Chambers for his office.