Why APC Replaced Its Senate Leader Ali Ndume With Ahmed Lawan
There could have been no better time to remove Ali Ndume, than this single time the whole APC Senators’ Caucus could come together and reach an accord based on the fact that Senator Ndume had frown against the process adopted in rejecting Ibrahim Magu’s confirmtion as the Chairman of Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and this majority of them never wanted, the leadership precisely.
There is a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Ndume’s foes from both sides came together to have him removed, but what would be the long run effect of this on the senate leadership with Saraki having his opponent as the senate’s majority leader.
Senator Ali Ndume claimed he was removed for insisting that the senate should follow due process before the declaring that it had rejected Magu’s nomination, he claimed that Magu was supposed to have been invited.
“What I said was that for us (Senate) to claim to have a rejected a nominee sent to us by the president, we have to follow the right procedure, and observe our rules,” the senator said.
“The nominee should have been called into the chamber and presented before senators who will then openly vote on whether to accept or reject his or her nomination.
“In the case of Magu, that was not done. We only had a closed-door session and when we emerged the Senate spokesperson claimed that he had been rejected. I had to set the record straight by saying we never rejected the nominee. This is because you don’t accept or reject a nominee at a closed session.
It’s glaring that Ndume’s attempt to go against the senate to save his statesman would not have gone well with the Senate President who has been having one issue or the other raised for him by the Ibrahim Magu’s led EFCC and couple with the fact that Ndume had emerge the Senate leader against the wish of the party leadership and as well as against the preference of the President Buhari, it was easy for the whole house to come together and put a noose on Ndume’s neck, he had been previously hinted to resign his position as the senate leader but refused as he never believed the plot to remove him could hold water, he left the senate floor for prayers as a Senate Leader only to be greeted with the news of his removal when he came back.
The appointment of Ahmed Lawan as the party’s Senate Leader happens to be a well celebrated victory, Lawan since his defeat when he bid for the senate presidency has been the party’s preference for the party’s leadership in the senate.
It was said Lawan would create way for a new political configuration in the senate when he steps in as a senate leader, his outing would be a supposed irony for him as Saraki would be attending his trial at the code of conduct tribunal, and in his place Ike Ekweremadu the Deputy Senate President will preside over this house, and to this Lawan had always frowned.
