The Akpabio-Ndume ‘showdown’ at Senate plenary

It’s good to see Senate President Godswill Akpabio putting ice on the “plenary spat” between him and Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume on October 17, 2023. The disruption the rowdiness could’ve caused was timely averted with the Senate going into an executive (a closed-door) session.

Akpabio – (APC, Akwa Ibom West) and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State – told State House reporters in Abuja on October 18 – after he met with President Bola Tinubu – that members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly (NASS) won’t throw chairs to iron out disagreements.

 His words: “In the parliament, sometimes you disagree to agree. We are all working in one accord. There is no problem at all. Even if some people disagree on some of the happenings in the Senate, still, it is the majority decision that is going to prevail.

“But we will never get to a point of throwing chairs. The Senate is too mature, full of mature people. So, if we have a disagreement, we immediately go into a closed session, resolve it and come out smiling.

“We are politicians, no permanent hatred but permanent interest. That interest is the interest of the nation, to support the President, his administration in legislation, oversights functions to succeed, in order to move the country forward.”

Surely, politicians may have no permanent hatred, yet, their permanent interest equates self-interest that fuels disagreements at plenary, and disruption of the parliament therefrom.

His confidence aside, Akpabio should watch it, as the counts mount against his four-month gaveling at the Senate leadership that he assumed because Ndume (APC, Borno South) pulled the chestnuts out of the fire – amid a campaign to pit the North against the South.

Ahead of inauguration of NASS in June 2023, Ndume, former Senate Leader in the 8th Senate, was an early bird for the Senate President, but dropped his bid and became Akpabio’s campaign manager when agitation for rotation of the seat to the South won the day.

Ndume’s gesture was against the aspiration of former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari (APC, Zamfara West), who – counting on the numerical strength of Northern senators – made Akpabio and the Presidency to sweat on election day despite all stops pulled by Tinubu for Akpabio, who defeated Yari by 63 votes to 46 votes in the 109-member Senate.

So, Akpabio should be mindful, as tension builds among senators – even before Senate’s resumption from long vacation in September – over his handling of procedural matters and others affecting his colleagues – who may exit from executive sessions “smiling” but wait for him to misjudge his steps on the famed “banana peel” (banana skin in British English).

The complaints, reported widely  in the media, include: (1) Insensitivity to the demands of senators (regarding observance of laws, and procedures and rules). (2) Sidelining of some ranking senators in allocation of chairmanship of committees. (3) Answering to President Tinubu’s beck and call (thus undermining the legislature’s independence).  (4) Unsavoury role played during screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees (when three nominees, including former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, were dropped over undisclosed security reports). (5) Embarrasing floor announcement on September 9 of a “token” and “prayers” (money) to enable senators enjoy their holidays amidst economic hardships, aftermath of removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira by the Tinubu administration.

Ndume 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.”

But Akpabio ruled Ndume “out of order” on the ground that, “having ruled on issues raised, it (they) cannot be revisited.” Efforts by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) “to sustain Ndume’s argument through another point of order” was unsuccessful, as Akpabio ruled him out of order.

However, Akpabio sustained a reading of Order 16 by Senate Deputy President Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North), which requires “a substantive motion to be moved by any Senator for correction or review of earlier decisions taken.” An “infuriated” Ndume raised Order 54 “to seek correction of the error.”

With Akpabio again ruling him out of order, Ndume packed his documents and stormed out of the chamber, forcing senators into a hurried hour-long closed-door session, which “affected the items on the Order Paper for the day.”

It remains in speculations whether Ndume – who, as Chief Whip, acts as a bridge between the ruling and opposition members, and ensures information flow on government business – will be “punished” for disrespectfully walking out of plenary.

In his chat with State House reporters, Akpabio papered over the Ndume episode, and a possible penalty to be meted to him – as,  perhaps, any such moves had to wait, to avoid disruption of the 10th Assembly retreat held in Akpabio’s home state of Akwa Ibom from October 19 to 22.

Akpabio said the retreat informed his visit to the Presidential Villa, to brief Tinubu and solicit his support for representation at the event, “and he (Tinubu) has graciously done that.”

He Added: “He (Tinubu) needs to be informed that the Senate will not be available in Abuja. We are moving the Senate all the way to Akwa Ibom for the next four days. Thereafter, we will be travelling to Angola, to attend the (147th Assembly of) International Parliamentary Union (IPU) (hosted by National Assembly of Angola from October 23 to 27). So, before he (Tinubu) sees me, it will take probably another nine days. So, I needed to inform him.”