Yar'Adua 'splits' Nigeria's Senate
There is lingering confusion in the Senate over the health condition of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as members have broken into three groups in a bid to deal with the issue.
THISDAY gathered that the three groups emerged in the aftermath of last Tuesday's motion on the continued absence of the president, which was watered down by the leadership.
The first is the pro-Yar'Adua group comprising the Senate President David Mark; Chief Whip, Senator Kanti Bello; Deputy Whip, Mohammed Mana; Senators Ibrahim Ida, Garba Lado, Umaru Argungu, Tanko Ayuba, Saminu Turaki, George Akume, Joseph Akaargerger, Jibril Aminu, Otaru Ohize, Nicholas Ugbane, Ahmed Makarfi, Odion Ugbesia, Gbemisola Saraki and a host of others.
The second is the pro-Jonathan group comprising quite a number of Senators from the Southern part of the country, especially from the South-south where the Vice-President comes from.
Some of the pro-Jonathan senators are Senators Emmanuel Paulker, Heineken Lokpobiri, Edobor Uzamere, George Thompson Sekibo, Wilson Ake, Victor Ndoma-Egba, Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, Greg Ngaji and Annie Okonkwo.
The third is the anti-Yar'Adua group which is not necessarily pro-Jonathan, comprising, among others, Senators Maina Ma'aji Lawan, Suleiman Nazif, Mohammed Mohammed, Bala Mohammed, Caleb Zagi, Joel Danlami Ikenya, Hassan Gusau, Omar Hambagda Abubakar Gada, Adamu Talba, Abubakar Sodangi, Grace Bent, Dahiru Awaisu Kuta, and Anthony Manzo.
This, as learnt, has accentuated the confusion in the Senate: how the third group will deal with the issue without the second group benefiting from its opposition.
There were indications yesterday that the tension generated by Yar'Adua's continued absence and the outcome of the debate on the motion to that effect may linger in the Upper House as it resumes plenary today.
There is, in fact, dissatisfaction in the Upper House in the aftermath of its resolution, last week, to invite the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, to brief it on the health condition of the president.
It had rejected the prayer to send a delegation to Saudi Arabia to visit Yar'Adua at the King Faisal Specialist and Research Centre in Jeddah as well as the prayer to invite his Personal Physician, Dr. Salisu Banye, to brief it on his (Yar'Adua's) condition.
Senate President Mark had deftly ensured that the prayer to visit Yar'Adua did not sail through.
He had also blocked attempts by some senators to, through constitutional points of order, raise Sections 143 (on impeachment for gross misconduct of being away from his duty post for more than 42 days), 144 (on incapacitation) and 145 (on transmission of letter to enable Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan step in as Acting President), saying the sections were not within the purview of the Senate.
THISDAY gathered that some senators from both the Northern and Southern regions were not happy at the manner the Senate President blocked them from proceeding with debate on the motion based on the provisions of the three sections.
An aggrieved senator told THISDAY yesterday: “If the Senate President said Sections 144 and 145 were not within the purview of the Senate, what about Section 143?
“The Senate President, I understand, is trying to stabilise the polity; but there is apparent inactivity within the government. In the Senate, there is confusion as to what to do. People are just signing all manner of documents.”
Asked what the documents were meant to achieve, he said that they were intended to kick-start impeachment process against the President in accordance with Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution.
Section 143 (1) reads: “The President or Vice-President may be removed from office in accordance with the provisions of this section.
“(2) Whenever a notice of any allegation in writing signed by not less than one-third of the members of the National Assembly - (a) is presented to the President of the Senate; (b) stating that the holder of the office of President or Vice-President is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office, detailed particulars of which shall be specified, the President of the Senate shall within seven days of the receipt of the notice cause a copy thereof to be served on the holder of the office and on each member of the National Assembly, and shall also cause any statement made in reply to all the allegation by the holder of the office to be served on each member of the National Assembly.”
But there were indications yesterday that the impeachment process may fall through in both chambers of the National Assembly.
In the Senate, the anti-Yar'Adua group will need to rally 73 senators to push through the process while in the House, the group will need 240 members – both figures representing two-thirds majority of all members of the National Assembly.
But in the Senate, where there have been quiet agitations, indications emerged yesterday that the process may fall through as the anti-Yar'Adua group is not likely to muster the number to push the process through.
However, opposition senators have been holding clandestine meetings to sign up impeachment notice to be forwarded to the Senate President in accordance with the provisions of Section 143.