On Tuesday, Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ekweremadu were elected as senate president and deputy senate president respectively in an unpalatable manner as the vote was conducted behind the backs of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) senators. They were elected covertly while APC senators were at the nearby International Conference Centre in Abuja for meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the issue of National Assembly leadership.
Incensed by the fast one they pulled, the APC has threatened to discipline Senator Saraki and all its eight other senators who connived with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to elect principal officers against its wishes. Senator Ahmed Lawan from Yobe State had been the APC's choice for senate president, with Senator George Akume of Benue State, the pick for deputy senate president.
As the tension continues to boil, the APC has found a loophole in the election of Senator Ekweremadu as instead of using division as contained in Rule 3 (1) (e)(i, ii, iii) and (f), the senate opted for an open secret ballot system. For violating its rules, the senate may ask Senator Ekweremadu to step aside so it can conduct fresh elections for the office of the deputy president of the senate.
However, pro-Saraki and PDP sources claim that no infraction of the rules, with one senator saying that the clerk of the senate has the prerogative to conduct the election of principal officers in the manner he deems fit. Rule 3 (1) (e) (i, ii, iii) and (f), of the senate reads: “When only two senators-elect are nominated and seconded as president of the senate, the election shall be conducted as follows:
(i) the Senate shall divide with the proposers and seconders as tellers.
(ii) Voting shall be conducted by the Clerks-at-the-Table using the Division List of the Senate with the Tellers in attendance. The Clerk of the Senate shall submit the result of the division to the Clerk of the National Assembly.
(iii) the Clerk shall then declare the senator-elect who has received the greater number of votes elected as President of Senate.
“(f) When more than two senators-elect are nominated and seconded as President of the Senate, the division shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in Section (e) and the Senator-elect who has received a majority of votes shall be the President of the Senate.”
Also, Rule 3(4) says: “The procedure for the election of the Deputy President of the Senate shall be the same as that of the President of the Senate.”
One high-ranking senator added: “By every definition of the rules of the Senate, Ekweremadu was not properly elected. He may need to step aside and allow for a fresh election into that office.
“The alternative is to leave the court to decide his fate. This might lead to many litigations which can hinder the activities of the senate."
According to the senator, this will pose a challenge to the alliance between Senator Saraki and the southeast/south-south caucus. He added that it is going to be an acid test for Senator Saraki to prove that he is still a loyal member of APC or an ally of the PDP.
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