An average politician in this part of the world will do anything to hold on to power.
Since the July 24, 2018 defection of over fifty National Assembly members from the All Progressives Congress (APC), legislators from both the ruling and main opposition parties have thrown caution to the wind in trying to assert their authority in both chambers.
An alleged plot by some APC senators to forcefully reconvene Senate plenary filtered into the air last week. And the agile House of Representatives members from PDP assumed the duties of ‘mai-guards’ or watchmen by keeping ‘vigil’ at the upper legislative chamber to prevent those they tagged ‘intruders’ from gaining entrance into the chamber to impeach Saraki.
This was despite the large number of security operatives manning the Complex from police to civil defence, Department of State Services (DSS), private security guards amongst others.
Perhaps, the action of the PDP lawmakers to turn themselves to vigilantes may not be unconnected with the April 18 ugly encounter where hoodlums with the alleged connivance of security men invaded Senate chambers, disrupted plenary and carted away the symbol of authority – mace.
Even when PDP leadership hosted lawmakers who recently defected to its fold, for a dinner, acting Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Chukwuka Onyeama, revealed that some of his colleagues were still at the lobby of the National Assembly to scuttle the plans of APC senators allegedly lurking around to ‘invade Senate chambers’.
As a result of the heightened tension over allegations of forceful resumption, the National Assembly has become a battle ground as sergeant-at-arms now resume work not knowing what could befall them.
The claim by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim, that lawmakers could reconvene with 30 senators shows that the lawmaker is either speaking from the point of ignorance or being mischievous.
Section 54 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) puts the quorum for every legislative sitting in the Senate at one-third of all the members. This means not less than thirty-seven senators are required for sitting to commence. In addition, this only applies when the Senate is in session, as the Standing Order does not give the mandate of reconvening the Senate to one-third of the house.
In the same vein, the Senate Standing Orders spells out the procedure for convening the apex legislative chamber. According to the Rule, only the President of the Senate has powers to reconvene the session if it becomes necessary to sit on a date different from the date it had earlier adjourned to.
Specifically, Order 12 (2) of the Rule stipulates that: “Whenever the Senate stands adjourned either to a date fixed by the rule of the Senate or to a date determined in accordance with paragraph (1) of his Rule and it is represented by the Leaders of the political parties in the Senate to the President of the Senate that the Public interest requires that the Senate should meet on an earlier or a later date or time than that on which it stands adjourned, the President of the Senate may give notice accordingly, and the Senate shall meet on the date and at the time stated in the notice”.
The import of this provision is that reconvening the chamber is at the discretion of the Senate President.
The defection of Saraki from APC to PDP appeared to have ruffled the feathers of the governing party as it called on the nation’s Number Three Citizen to resign his position and leave the ‘crown’ for the party.
A glance at Order 3 (2) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2015 (as amended) prescribes the condition for electing Presiding and Principal Officers on ranking and not on political leaning.
Specifically, Order 3(2) states that: “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: (i) Senators returning based on number of times reelected; (ii) Senators who had been members of the House of Representatives; (iii) Senators elected as Senators for the first time”.
Except APC lawmakers adopt the Benue style where eight lawmakers received police cover to serve Governor Samuel Ortom impeachment notice, it is almost impossible to impeach Saraki, as not less than two-thirds majority of senators (which translates to seventy-three) is needed to do so.
With the media war between Pro-Buhari and Pro-Saraki senators, the annual recess may have been technically cut short, as both sides regroup for the next line of action. The coming weeks promises to be interesting.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
