News

Crisis Hits Senate, Chief Whip Storms Out Of Session

Published

2 years ago

October 17, 2023

The crisis of confidence among Senators came to a head, on Tuesday, as the Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, stormed out during plenary to protest the refusal of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to address alleged procedural errors.

In order to prevent the situation from degenerating further, Akpabio requested that his colleagues meet behind closed doors for further discussion.

Trouble started minutes after the commencement of the day’s session when the Chief Whip , Senator Ali Ndume ( APC Borno South ) , raised a point of order to draw the Senate President’s attention to alleged presedurial errors committed by him which were yet to be corrected.

Specifically, Ndume , referenced a motion on the need for re – opening of Nigeria – Niger Border which was moved by Senator Summaila Kawu ( NNPP Kano South ), which Akpabio allowed to be debated without first having the official title of the motion read as was the normal procedure.

Ndume, relying on Order order 51 of the Senate Standing Rules, requested that the Senate President should allow for the correction of any error made or observed during plenary .

He said, “This is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guided by laws , rules and procedures . If in the course of proceedings at any session, errors are observed , they must be corrected before forging ahead with such proceedings…”

He had hardly completed expressing his thoughts when Akpabio interrupted by noting that, since he had ruled on issues raised , it can not be revisited. He subsequently ruled Ndume out of order.

Undaunted, another Senator, Sunday Karimi ( APC Kogi West ) , rose in defence of Ndume’s point of order by raising another point of order; but was equally ruled out of order by the Senate President.

In an attempt to douse the tension, which was reaching feverish pitch at this point , the Deputy President of the Senate , Jibrin Barau quickly raised order 16 , which requires a substantive motion to be moved by any Senator seeking to correct or review an earlier decision taken.

Akpabio sustained this order. This infuriated Ndume, who equally raised another point of order, specifically order 54 to seek for correction of the perceived error.

Again, Akpabio ruled him out of order without allowing him exhaust his line of thought.

At this point, Ndume had had enough, he picked his documents and a few other belongings and stormed out of the Senate Chamber.

His action which was obviously unexpected led the Senate into resolving to go into a closed session.

Incidentally, Ndume was the campaign manager for Akpabio during the race for Senate President in June.

This is happening at a time Senators are preparing to leave for Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital for retreat which begins on Wednesday.

Tension has been building up long before the Senate resumed from its long vacation in September.

There were speculations about moves to impeach the Seanate President and change the leadership.

This prompted the Senate Presodent’s Media Office to issue a statement dismissing the speculation as a figment of the imagination of the authors.

However, Senator Elijah Abbo, who was recently sacked by the judgement of an Appeal Court, issued a statement on behalf
of the powerful Northern Senators accusing Akpabio’s office of trying to pit them against President Bola Tinubu.

He, in fact, accused the Senate President’s Office of being the brains behind the alleged move against the Senate leadership.

There are momurs among Senators that Akpabio has been engaged in a series of gaffes which was allegedly adversely affecting the image of the Upper Chamber.

First, an announcement that money was as sent to their individual accounts for “the holidays,” then his “uncomfortable joke” about letting the poor breath.

VANGUARD

News

Trump’s Airstrikes: Halt Military Cooperation With US Immediately – Sheikh Gumi Tells Tinubu Govt

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt all military cooperation with the United States following reported US airstrikes.

Gumi warned that American involvement could worsen Nigeria’s security challenges and undermine national sovereignty.

Gumi made the call in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said while Islam permits the fight against terrorism, such actions should only be carried out by what he described as “clean hands,” arguing that the United States lacks the moral authority to lead such efforts because of its global military record.

According to the cleric, Nigeria made a mistake by allowing foreign powers to play a role in its counterterrorism operations, insisting that “terrorists do not truly fight terrorists” and that such interventions often result in civilian casualties and hidden political motives.

Gumi warned that allowing Nigeria to become a theatre of war would attract anti-US forces into the country, further destabilising it.

He also cautioned that US involvement, particularly under claims of protecting Christians, could polarise the country along religious lines.

The cleric further argued that airstrikes alone cannot defeat terrorism, stressing that effective counterterrorism requires strong ground operations, which he said Nigeria has enough personnel to carry out if properly organised.

“This is the mistake Nigeria has made. Terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror’.

“As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theater of war. And no nation should allow its neighbors to be their enemies.

“If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” part of his statement reads.

News

Shehu Sani Reacts To Trump’s Military Strikes In Nigeria

Published

4 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Former lawmaker, senator Shehu Sani, has reacted to reports of United States military strikes on terrorist targets in Nigeria’s North-West, saying foreign powers cannot permanently handle the country’s security challenges.

Sani made the remarks on Friday via his X handle while responding to a post by the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, which indicated that the strikes were carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

According to him, if the reported strikes were indeed a joint operation with Nigerian security agencies, then such action was justifiable, given the threat posed by terrorist groups in the region.

He described terrorists operating in parts of northern Nigeria as “cancerous cells,” stressing that they survive through violence and should be confronted decisively.

Sani also dismissed narratives suggesting that terrorist attacks target only one religious group, describing such claims as false and misleading.

He said: “If actually, the military strikes against the terrorists targets in the North Western part of Nigeria were a joint operation with the ‘Nigerian Authorities’ as posted by the US AFRICOM on their verified X handle, then it’s a conscionable action.

“Terrorists have become cancerous cells in our part of the country.They live by the sword.The narrative that the evil terrorists only targets one faith, remains absolutely false and misleading.

“Again, the ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power. They can complimentarily or unilaterally strike, but they can’t eternally fight our battles.”