Amid Impeachment Threats, Nigeria’s Senate Targets Yari, Others By Changing Rules

In what seemed like a veiled aim at a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdul-Aziz Yari, and a subtle move to quell the simmering impeachment plots against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Senate, on Tuesday, amended its standing rules to stop first time senators from contesting the position of either Senate President or Deputy Senate President.

The amendment, which was sequel to a motion sponsored by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, also saw the creation of additional nine standing committees by the senate leadership.

The amended rule stipulates that any senator contesting the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President must have spent a minimum of one term in the senate.

Prior to the amendment, all the 109 senators, irrespective of ranking, were free to contest the presiding positions.

Rule 3 of the Senate Standing Order stated that nomination for presiding officers shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators.

It stated, “In determining the ranking, the following Order shall apply: (i) senators returning based on the number of times re-elected; (ii) senators, who had been members of the House of Representatives and (iii) Senators elected as senators for the first time.”

The senators, on Tuesday, amended Rule 3 to state that any senator vying for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate must have served at least one term in the senate.

The amendment came months after a fierce contest for the 10th National Assembly leadership positions on June 13.

Akpabio was elected to the position in a keenly contested poll shaped by intrigues, acrimony and high-wire politics, and which many described as heavily monetised due to the stakes in the race.  He polled 63 votes to defeat his lone challenger, Yari, a first time senator, who secured 46 votes.

The senate president had shortly before the senators proceeded on their annual recess in August announced the composition of 74 standing committees.

But some senators, who did not vote for him during the inauguration of the 10th Senate had said the arrangement was lopsided, thus eliciting the alleged impeachment plot against him, among others concerns.

The purported impeachment of the senate president was being considered in view of the certificate crisis against President Bola Tinubu, which some of his loyalists reckoned might be difficult to manage if someone not in their camp assumed the senate presidency.

It was against these extrapolations that insiders considered the new rules as a way to shut out potential threats to the senate presidency and also tame the simmering impeachment plots in the senate, with the larger goal of protecting Tinubu.

Akpabio announced the amendment of the senate standing rules after majority of the senators supported it through voice vote at plenary. The motion was earlier considered and passed at the Committee of the Whole.

Majority of the senators also supported the motion, when it was raised at plenary.

Presenting the motion on amendment of the senate standing order, Bamidele explained that there were a number of rules that required amendment in order to give legislative support to more committees. He said the amendment notice had been circulated to the senators in accordance with the existing Order 109 Rule 2 of the senate standing orders.

The senate subsequently amended its rules to create additional committees.

The new committees are Committee on Atomic and Nuclear Energy; Committee on Federal Capital Territory Area Council and Auxiliary Matters; Committee on Federal Capital Territory; and Committee on Sports Development.

Others are Committee on Youth and Community Engagement; Committee on Mines and Steel Development; Committee on Tourism; and Committee on Culture and Creative Economy.

As shown in the motion, the senate created the Committee on Atomic and Nuclear Energy, which would oversee the Nigeria Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, and their annual budget estimates.

The senate also split the Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into two different standing committees, namely, Committee on FCT and Committee on FCT Area Councils.

The senate resolved that the Committee on FCT would oversee matters affecting the FCT, Planning and Development of the new Federal Capital Territory and control of development within the Federal Capital Territory and its annual budgets. It resolved that the Committee on FCT Area Councils would oversee Area Council Mandate, Area Council Service Commission, Area Council Staff Pension Board, Auditor-General for the Area Council, and other agencies or departments under FCT.

The senate divided the Committee on Sports into two standing committees, Committee on Sports Development and Committee on Youth and Community Engagements.

According to the senate, the jurisdiction of the Committee on Sports Development shall include Federal Ministry of Sport Development, National Lottery Commission, National Institute for Sports, Nigeria Football Federation, Sport Arena Development, national and international sporting activities, sports administration, and annual budget estimates.

The jurisdiction of the Committee on Youth and Community Engagements would include Federal Ministry of Youth Development, National Youth Service Corps, Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Offices of the Senior Assistant to the President on Community Engagement in the six geo-political zones, youth movements activities and associations and its annual budget estimates.

The upper chamber split the Committee on Solid Minerals, Steel Development and Metallurgy into the Committee on Solid Mineral Development and Committee on Mines and Steel Development.

The senate stated that Committee on Solid Mineral Development “shall oversee Federal Ministry of Solid Mineral Development, Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, Mining Cadastre Office and Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientist, Nigerian Metallurgical Training Institute, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geoscience, National Metallurgical Development Centre, exploration of minerals extraction and quarry, geological survey and minerals investigation as well as explosives.

“The Committee on Mines and Steel Development shall oversee Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Aluminium Smelting Company of Nigeria, Ajaokuta Steel Development Company, National Iron Ore Mining Company, National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency, and their budgets.”

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

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