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Ndume Accuses Saraki Of Shutting Down NASS Over Personal Issues

   Advertisement The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has accused the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, of shutting down the National Assembly over … Continue reading Ndume Accuses Saraki Of Shutting Down NASS Over Personal Issues


 

The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has accused the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, of shutting down the National Assembly over personal issues.

He said he was shocked at the manner in which he (Saraki) acted and therefore, wants the Senate reconvened in order for it to resolve some critical national matters.

Ndume said this on Wednesday in reaction to Saraki’s defection on Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today.

He said, “What I want to do personally is to call on the Senate President Bukola Saraki, to reconvene the Senate because we have critical matters of urgent national importance before the National Assembly.

“His closure of the National Assembly that day was unbelievable. I was shocked by the way he acted.

“The Senate is not Saraki, he is just a member of the Senate. Saraki is just a presiding officer that anybody can be, so for him to have just shut down the National Assembly because of personal issues, is very unfortunate and uncalled for especially when you have very important matters before the Senate,” he added.

According to Ndume, some of the pending matters include the approval of the FCT budget, budgets for INEC, the appointment of ICPC members among others.

“We have five different critical items. We have the budget of the FCT before the Senate which has not been approved.

“We have the virement and supplementary budget for INEC which is necessary in order to conduct the 2019 elections and then we have the appointment and the confirmation of ICPC members, that of FERMA is lying there, that of judicial commission is there and in fact, the budget of 64 government agencies is before the Senate.

“Approval for the funding, external borrowing to fund the 2018 budget which has already been approved of about $2.8 billion is before the Senate,” he said.


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The comments come after the Senate President announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday.

He said he defected after extensive consultations and after efforts to ensure a harmonious existence in the APC proved futile.

Meanwhile, the move also came days after 14 other Senators defected from the APC.

The Senate subsequently adjourned plenary till September 25, 2018, when it will resume from its long vacation.