A gentle drama erupted in the Senate on Tuesday when the President of the Red Chamber, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume clashed over a motion on the necessity to reopen the Nigeria-Benin Republic border.
The clash, which nearly become a rowdy session, pressured the Senate President to name for a closed-door government session that lasted for hours.
The motion on the border, moved below a matter of pressing nationwide significance of the Senate Standing Rules by Senator Summaila Kawu (NNPP Kano South), for debate by Senators, allegedly had no particular title and Senator Ndume raised a Point of Order to appropriate the “error”.
Attempt by the previous Senate Leader to request correction for the alleged error, occurred barely 10 minutes after graduation of the plenary, however the Senate President refused the correction.
Specifically, Senator Ndume who rose by means of Order 51 of the Senate Standing Rules, requested the Senate President to permit for correction of any error made or noticed in plenary.
He mentioned: “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.”
But the Senate President rapidly intercepted him by saying having dominated on points raised, it can’t be revisited and consequently dominated Senator Ndume out of order.
Efforts by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC Kogi West) to maintain Ndume’s line of argument by means of one other Point of Order was additionally swiftly dominated out of order by the Senate President.
In an effort to revive concord, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau rapidly rose to learn Order 16 which requires a substantive motion to be moved by any Senator for correction or overview of earlier selections taken.
Sustenance of Barau’s Point of Order by Akpabio infuriated Ndume, who raised one other Order (54) to hunt for correction of the perceived error.
The Senate President dominated him out of order once more with out being allowed to make full presentation of his argument.
Angered by Akpabio’s resolution, Ndume packed his paperwork and furiously stormed out of the chamber.
Apparently perplexed by the situation, Senators hurriedly went right into a closed-door session which lasted for hours and affected the objects on the Order Paper for the day.
