…warns of grave danger if Saraki, Ekweremadu are not left alone to do their jobs. ….says, Buhari becoming a dictato r. ROTIMI AKINWUMI ABUJA. President Muhammadu Buhari has remained in office in the last one year because the Senate does not feel like rocking the boat of the nation’s democracy through commencement of impeachment proceedings against him. Rather, the Senate has overlooked his numerous infractions and moved on, behaving with maturity in saving the nation’s democracy from collapsing. In making the clarifications, the upper legislative chamber however warned the executive arm of government not to push the patience of the legislature to the break limit, but rather, face all the numerous economic challenges bedeviling the nation and find solutions to them. The Senate also alerted the nation and the international community to what it considered as the manifestation of dictatorial tendencies in the current administration which it noted will spell doom for the nation’s democracy. The Senate gave the warning in a statement issued by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi in reaction to news of the desire of the executive to prosecute the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his Deputy Ike Ekweremadu and two other national Assembly bureaucrats for allegedly forging the Senate rule prior to the inauguration of the parliament last year. Aside the Senate President and his Deputy, the duo of immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi were invited by the police high authority last week as part of investigation into the alleged crime. However, the Senate in a strong worded statement issued on Sunday said the ongoing investigation into the matter is a pure violation of the power and rights of the legislature and the erosion of its independence in a government that works on the hinges of checks and balances. According to the Senate, the ongoing investigation is a disservice to the tenets of democracy, saying further that “reviewing the circumstances leading to the filing of these charges, we are compelled to alert the good people of Nigeria and the international community, that our democracy is in danger and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of the Federal Government to muzzle the legislature and criminalise legislative processes in order to cause leadership change in the National Assembly is a return to the era of impunity and lack of respect for due process which we all fought to abolish”. To avoid the looming crisis, the Senate “urges President Muhammadu Buhari to please call his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order”. The upper legislative chamber stated emphatically that it was aware that the latest attempt to drag its presiding officers into another round of court case is an attempt at forcing a leadership change in the parliament. The senate however, noted that such plan would remain a pipe dream. The parliament insisted that the moves by the Presidency at ridiculing the leadership of the Senate is an affront on the integrity of the Red Chamber that has been playing the maturity game in the last one year to sustain the nation’s democracy in view of the mistakes of the executive which it had consistently overlooked. “The Senate of the Federal Republic voted freely to elect its leadership into office and continuing attempts to change that leadership through the wanton abuse of judicial processes cannot stand in the eyes of the world. “It is clear that the Attorney General and party leaders behind this action either lack the understanding of the underlining principles of constitutional democracy, the concept of Separation of Powers, checks and balances and parliamentary convention or they just simply do not care if the present democracy in the country survives or collapses in their blinded determination to get Saraki and Ekweremadu by all means necessary, including abuse of office and sacking the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “The Nigerian people have enough economic hardship at this time requiring the full attention and cooperation of the three arms of government, instead of these attempts to distract and politicise governance. “We are in a state of economic emergency such that what the National Assembly needs at this time are executive bills and proposals aimed at resolving the crises of unemployment, currency depreciation, inflation, crime and insecurity. “What the National Assembly needs now are executive bills to build and strengthen institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption and eliminate waste. “Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed at destabilising the National Assembly, distracting Senators from their oversight functions and ensuring good and accountable governance. “We must make it clear here to the individuals in the executive arm and party leadership behind these plots not to mistake the maturity and hand of co-operation being extended to the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of weakness. “The National Assembly bent backwards to accommodate various infractions and inefficiencies in pursuit of inter-arms co- operation and national interest. “We did not follow up the various infractions because we believe there are bigger issues which the government has to attend to in order to ensure that every Nigerian has food on his table and lives comfortably in a secure environment. We know that the country is actually in a state of economic emergency and all hands must be on deck. “This latest plot is directed at forcing a change of leadership in the Senate or, in the extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. Or how does one interpret a move in which the two presiding officers are being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an internal affair of the Senate. “This obviously is a dangerous case of violation of the independence of the legislature, undue and unnecessary interference in the internal affairs of the Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial process,” the statement said. The parliament noted that the issues being raised by the executive had appeared on the floor of the Senate and it had been trashed out. The recent attempt to reopen it, it was said, is unthinkable, as it has the tendencies to show that the parliament has lost its independence. “The matter now being criminalised was brought to the plenary of the Senate in session, over a year ago. And because it had no support, it was overruled and roundly defeated in chambers. “To now take a matter that was resolved on the floor of the Senate to the police and then make it form the subject of a criminal prosecution of freely elected legislators beats all imagination of free thinking men all over the world. “The implication is that any matter that fails on the floor of the National Assembly will now be taken to the Police, thereby endangering every Senator and House member. “This current move clearly runs contrary to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances which are fundamental to the successful operation of the Presidential System of government. It runs counter to the principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held that nobody should seek to use the courts to achieve what he or she has failed to push through on the floor of the National Assembly. “This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a coup against the legislature with the ignoble aim to undermine its independence and subject the law making institution to the whims and caprices of the executive. It is a plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era that we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is a dangerous trend with grave implications for the survival of our democracy and the integrity of the component institutions. “This rule of men as against the rule of law is also the reason why the War Against Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of the present administration, is losing credibility because people perceive it to be selective and, in most cases, aimed at settling political or partisan scores. “The Rules of the Senate and how the institution elects its leadership are internal affairs. The National Assembly bureaucracy provides the Rules of a new Senate. It has always been so since 1999. After the inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have objections to any part of the Rules, they can follow the procedure for changing it. Senators of the Eighth Senate have no control on the rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015 because until after their inauguration, they were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere bystanders in the affairs of the Senate. “We therefore urge all Nigerians and the international community to rise up and condemn this blatant attempt to subject the legislature to the control, whims and caprices of the executive. “If the legislative branch falls, democracy fails as there will be no other institution empowered by the Constitution to check and balance the enormous powers of the Executive branch. “We also call on the judiciary as the last hope to save our constitutional democracy and stand up for the rule of law, by doing that which is right in this case,” the statement added.

alfredfrddy:
…warns of grave danger if Saraki, Ekweremadu
are not left alone to do their jobs.
….says, Buhari becoming a dictato r.
ROTIMI AKINWUMI
ABUJA.
President Muhammadu Buhari has remained in
office in the last one year because the Senate
does not feel like rocking the boat of the
nation’s democracy through commencement
of impeachment proceedings against him.
Rather, the Senate has overlooked his
numerous infractions and moved on, behaving
with maturity in saving the nation’s democracy
from collapsing.
In making the clarifications, the upper
legislative chamber however warned the
executive arm of government not to push the
patience of the legislature to the break limit,
but rather, face all the numerous economic
challenges bedeviling the nation and find
solutions to them.
The Senate also alerted the nation and the
international community to what it considered
as the manifestation of dictatorial tendencies
in the current administration which it noted
will spell doom for the nation’s democracy.
The Senate gave the warning in a statement
issued by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi
Abdullahi in reaction to news of the desire of
the executive to prosecute the Senate
President, Bukola Saraki, his Deputy Ike
Ekweremadu and two other national Assembly
bureaucrats for allegedly forging the Senate
rule prior to the inauguration of the parliament
last year.
Aside the Senate President and his Deputy,
the duo of immediate past Clerk to the
National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa
and the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Ben Efeturi
were invited by the police high authority last
week as part of investigation into the alleged
crime.
However, the Senate in a strong worded
statement issued on Sunday said the ongoing
investigation into the matter is a pure violation
of the power and rights of the legislature and
the erosion of its independence in a
government that works on the hinges of
checks and balances.
According to the Senate, the ongoing
investigation is a disservice to the tenets of
democracy, saying further that “reviewing the
circumstances leading to the filing of these
charges, we are compelled to alert the good
people of Nigeria and the international
community, that our democracy is in danger
and that the attempt by the Executive Arm of
the Federal Government to muzzle the
legislature and criminalise legislative
processes in order to cause leadership change
in the National Assembly is a return to the era
of impunity and lack of respect for due
process which we all fought to abolish”.
To avoid the looming crisis, the Senate “urges
President Muhammadu Buhari to please call
his Attorney General and Minister of Justice,
Mr. Abubakar Malami, to order”.
The upper legislative chamber stated
emphatically that it was aware that the latest
attempt to drag its presiding officers into
another round of court case is an attempt at
forcing a leadership change in the parliament.
The senate however, noted that such plan
would remain a pipe dream.
The parliament insisted that the moves by the
Presidency at ridiculing the leadership of the
Senate is an affront on the integrity of the
Red Chamber that has been playing the
maturity game in the last one year to sustain
the nation’s democracy in view of the
mistakes of the executive which it had
consistently overlooked.
“The Senate of the Federal Republic voted
freely to elect its leadership into office and
continuing attempts to change that leadership
through the wanton abuse of judicial
processes cannot stand in the eyes of the
world.
“It is clear that the Attorney General and party
leaders behind this action either lack the
understanding of the underlining principles of
constitutional democracy, the concept of
Separation of Powers, checks and balances
and parliamentary convention or they just
simply do not care if the present democracy in
the country survives or collapses in their
blinded determination to get Saraki and
Ekweremadu by all means necessary,
including abuse of office and sacking the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
“The Nigerian people have enough economic
hardship at this time requiring the full
attention and cooperation of the three arms of
government, instead of these attempts to
distract and politicise governance.
“We are in a state of economic emergency
such that what the National Assembly needs
at this time are executive bills and proposals
aimed at resolving the crises of
unemployment, currency depreciation,
inflation, crime and insecurity.
“What the National Assembly needs now are
executive bills to build and strengthen
institutions to earn revenues, fight corruption
and eliminate waste.
“Instead, we are getting hostile actions aimed
at destabilising the National Assembly,
distracting Senators from their oversight
functions and ensuring good and accountable
governance.
“We must make it clear here to the individuals
in the executive arm and party leadership
behind these plots not to mistake the maturity
and hand of co-operation being extended to
the Presidency by the legislature as a sign of
weakness.
“The National Assembly bent backwards to
accommodate various infractions and
inefficiencies in pursuit of inter-arms co-
operation and national interest.
“We did not follow up the various infractions
because we believe there are bigger issues
which the government has to attend to in
order to ensure that every Nigerian has food
on his table and lives comfortably in a secure
environment. We know that the country is
actually in a state of economic emergency and
all hands must be on deck.
“This latest plot is directed at forcing a
change of leadership in the Senate or, in the
extreme case, ground the Red Chamber of the
National Assembly. Or how does one interpret
a move in which the two presiding officers are
being set up to be remanded in Kuje Prison or
incapacitated from sitting at plenary through a
day-to-day trial on a matter that is purely an
internal affair of the Senate.
“This obviously is a dangerous case of
violation of the independence of the
legislature, undue and unnecessary
interference in the internal affairs of the
Senate and blatant abuse of the judicial
process,” the statement said.
The parliament noted that the issues being
raised by the executive had appeared on the
floor of the Senate and it had been trashed
out.
The recent attempt to reopen it, it was said, is
unthinkable, as it has the tendencies to show
that the parliament has lost its independence.
“The matter now being criminalised was
brought to the plenary of the Senate in
session, over a year ago. And because it had
no support, it was overruled and roundly
defeated in chambers.
“To now take a matter that was resolved on
the floor of the Senate to the police and then
make it form the subject of a criminal
prosecution of freely elected legislators beats
all imagination of free thinking men all over
the world.
“The implication is that any matter that fails
on the floor of the National Assembly will now
be taken to the Police, thereby endangering
every Senator and House member.
“This current move clearly runs contrary to the
Doctrine of Separation of Powers and Checks
and Balances which are fundamental to the
successful operation of the Presidential
System of government. It runs counter to the
principle outlined by the Supreme Court in the
Adesanya Vs Senate case where it was held
that nobody should seek to use the courts to
achieve what he or she has failed to push
through on the floor of the National Assembly.
“This present efforts, therefore, is clearly a
coup against the legislature with the ignoble
aim to undermine its independence and
subject the law making institution to the
whims and caprices of the executive. It is a
plan to return Nigeria to the dictatorial era
that we have, as a nation, voted to reject. It is
a dangerous trend with grave implications for
the survival of our democracy and the
integrity of the component institutions.
“This rule of men as against the rule of law is
also the reason why the War Against
Corruption, one of the cardinal objectives of
the present administration, is losing credibility
because people perceive it to be selective
and, in most cases, aimed at settling political
or partisan scores.
“The Rules of the Senate and how the
institution elects its leadership are internal
affairs. The National Assembly bureaucracy
provides the Rules of a new Senate. It has
always been so since 1999. After the
inauguration of the Senate, if Senators have
objections to any part of the Rules, they can
follow the procedure for changing it. Senators
of the Eighth Senate have no control on the
rules applied in the elections of June 9, 2015
because until after their inauguration, they
were only Senators-elect, and therefore mere
bystanders in the affairs of the Senate.
“We therefore urge all Nigerians and the
international community to rise up and
condemn this blatant attempt to subject the
legislature to the control, whims and caprices
of the executive.
“If the legislative branch falls, democracy fails
as there will be no other institution
empowered by the Constitution to check and
balance the enormous powers of the
Executive branch.
“We also call on the judiciary as the last hope
to save our constitutional democracy and
stand up for the rule of law, by doing that
which is right in this case,” the statement
added.

Do your work. Don't be afraid. If impeaching the illiterate dullard will bring progress to Nigeria, please go and do it, don't play politics with it because of posterity.

keally:

Do your work. Don't be afraid. If impeaching the illiterate dullard will bring progress to Nigeria, please go and do it, don't play politics with it because of posterity.

This present Senate I know that dem no born anybody well among them to try that thing. Not even senators from the 5percenters will dare it!
They created the problem by allowing desperation and greed for power to drive them to forge a public document to install their leadership.If they were really in the majority, why then do they have to forge the Senate rules.

keally:

Do your work. Don't be afraid. If impeaching the illiterate dullard will bring progress to Nigeria, please go and do it, don't play politics with it because of posterity.

Dullard indeed because he has inserted his authority and refuse to play along. They should be explicit on the impeachable offense and stop playing to the gallery. For instituting immunity and suggesting life pension for themselves is not an impeachable offence?

can't someone stay one day without hearing all these kind of news ehnnn , they have started early monday morning.

Okay.

The lion they help to breed is now coming after them, they voted a dictator and rejected a democrat so les enjoy the jungle life with lion the king.