…’I was not consulted, Says Ndume
By Nuel Suji – Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki on Tuesday announced the decision the All Progressives Congress members of the Senate to remove Senator Ali Ndume as their leader and replacing him with Senator Ahmad Lawan.
Saraki’s decision was sequel to a letter written to him by Senate caucus of APC who read the letter while Ndume left the session to pray at the National Assembly’s mosque.
The caucus in the letter read by Saraki replaced Ndume with Ahmad Lawan as their caucus leader.
Briefing the newsmen after plenary session, Senator Ndume said he shocked about development adding that he was not consulted over the decision of the Caucus to remove him.
He said he was oblivious of what led to the decision or where the meeting was held to remove him.
In the letter entitled: “Notice of Change in Leadership,” the senators said: “We want to inform Your Excellency and the Senate that after separate meetings held on Monday January 9, we want to notify you of change in the leadership. Senator Ahmad Lawan now is the new Senate Leader.”
It was gathered that Ndume was removed over the interview he granted State House correspondents in the Presidential Villa on December 19, 2016 when he debunked Senate’s official position which had rejected the confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) on December 15 last year.
Speaking over the development, Senator Kabiru Marafa described the development as a victory for All Progressive Congress (APC) explaining that the decision of the Senate Leadership over the nomination of Senate leadership was what caused problem in the rulling party since inception of the 8th senate.
According to him, the party told the senate leadership that they should implement the letter sent to them but the leadership of the Senate refused to comply. So, some of us believed that the party was not respected.
He added that what happened in the Senate is the Unification of the party and there is no more problem within the APC caucus in the Senate.
He however submitted that the big problem now is the position Deputy Senate President, urging Ike Ekweremadu who is now DSP from opposition party to defect to All Progress Congress because of the crisis in the PDP.
