Nigeria Senate President Bukola Saraki Blocks Move To Nullify Ekweremadu’s Election As Deputy Senate President

Senate President Bukola Saraki on Wednesday stopped an attempt to nullify the election of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as deputy Senate president. Ekweremadu who is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) became deputy Senate president in an All Progressives Congress (APC) dominated Senate on June 9, in what appeared like a coup to some senators of the party who were at the International Conference Centers to attend a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

At Wedensday’s plenary, Senator Kabiru Marafa raised a point of order where he observed that the election of Ekweremadu was in breach of the Senate standing rules. He said the rules that the senate was using were initiated in 2011, which provides that an election into any of the presiding offices in the red chamber shall be via division and not secret ballot where twoCONTESTANTS are vying for any of the positions.

He observed however that Ekweremadu’s election was done through secret ballot where he defeated Senator Ali Ndume of the APC. He wondered when the rules were amended andREQUESTED for an explanation from Saraki. However, Saraki ruled him out of order, citing the Senate rules which provide that if a matter on presiding officer’s election has been taken care of, such cannot be considered any longer.