Saraki’s Senate surrenders, abandons unpopular bills

[caption id="attachment_32451" align="alignnone" width="400"] Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu[/caption] The Senate on Wednesday bowed to public criticisms and pressure and suspended further deliberation on amendment of Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Tribunals Act as well as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, announced the suspension following a two-hour closed door session. The close-door session was informed by a Point of Order raised by Sen. Hope Uzodinma (PDP-Imo West) on the need for the senate to discuss some issues affecting the integrity of the upper house. The Bill to amend the Acts, sponsored by Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North), passed through the first and second readings on April 12 and April 14. And the hurried treatment of the bills raised legal and moral issues for the senate. Senate President Bukola Saraki is facing trial on a 13 count charge of false asset declaration. Lawyers such as Mr. Femi Falana, the senior advocate of Nigeria issued a statement questioning the legal and constitutional basis of the amendments being pursued in the Senate. But the Senate appeared to have taken heed of the public criticisms, thus announcing a volte-face today. The senate, while declaring support for the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, in view of his trial, also suspended discussions on the petition of inflammatory statements on the Senate against Sen. Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central). ``The senate in a closed-door session discussed a number of issues affecting the smooth working of the senate. ``And I am happy to announce to our colleagues and the entire nation that after exhaustive deliberations and being sincere to ourselves, we decided to put behind us all things that have divided us since the inception of the 8th Senate and work as a united senate in the best interest of our country. ``We also agreed in the closed-session to suspend the discussion of the committee on Ethics report on Senator Marafa. ``We agreed to suspend further deliberation on the amendment on the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal's Act and the Criminal and Administration of Justice Act the amendment thereto. ``We agreed that this senate should stand and we do stand by the senate president in his trial until proven guilty by the court in accordance with our constitution and democratic practices all over the world including South Africa, Brazil and Russia.’’ The deputy president of the senate further announced that the upper house had set up committees to reconcile the warring factions in the senate and other pertinent issues. ``We also agreed to set up a committee two from each geo-political zone to address all the remaining issues and as part of the reconciliation those in court should consider withdrawing the cases. ``Further to the agreement to set up the committees, the geo-political zones have sent names of their representatives. ``For South South, we have Sen. Akpabio and Sen. James Manager; for North West, we have Sen. Sani Yerima and Suleiman Hunkuyi; for the North East, we have Sen. Bukar Abba and Joshua Lidani. ``For the South East, we have Sam Egwu and Hope Uzodinma; for the North Central, we have Gemade and Abdullahi Adamu; and for the South West, we have Monsurat Sumonu and Sen. Gbenga Ashafa.’’ The senate, thereafter, went into another closed-door session with the National Security Adviser and all the Service Chiefs over the abduction of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls.