Ali Ndume Resumes Plenary Tuesday

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno South, will return from suspension on Tuesday as the National Assembly resumes plenary after its two-month annual recess.

Ndume was handed a six-month suspension in March by the Senate for not “conducting due diligence” before filing a petition against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; and the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye.

The lawmaker was suspended “for bringing Senator Dino Melaye, his colleague, and the institution of the Senate to unbearable disrepute,” the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions said as part of their recommendation in its report against the lawmaker in March.

The panel had recommended that the lawmaker be suspended for one year but some senators pleaded that the punishment be reduced to six months, which was unanimously approved.

The Senate leader will however return to his duties tomorrow (Tuesday), a source in his office has confirmed.

“The distinguished senator is currently in Maiduguri but will be in Abuja on Tuesday to return to his legislative duty,” the source was quoted as saying by the Punch.

Recall that in March, the lawmaker raised an allegation in the Senate that an armoured Range Rover car reportedly worth $298,000 seized by the Nigeria Customs Service allegedly belonged to Saraki.

He also called on the upper chamber of the National Assembly to investigate the certificate scandal involving Melaye.

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which was mandated to investigate the allegations, aquitted Saraki and Melaye, while it recommended suspension for Ndume.