Saraki Runs Senate Like Personal Property – Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South senatorial district has slammed Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for allegedly running the Nigerian Senate like a one-man business.

Ndume, who spoke recently on Channels TV’s ‘Hard Copy’, accused Saraki of taking “advantage of the gavel to rule” instead of presiding over the Senate as its head.

The Borno South Senator said under Saraki’s leadership, the Senate has been reduced to “unbearable level of integrity”

He said, “I don’t want to be individualistic about it. We put the leadership there for Saraki; if you want me to be specific about it, and then it turns out to be another thing. We have senator’s president now, instead of Senate president.

“I speak the truth a lot even if I’m alone, and I stand by it. We started with the issue of Magu, I was with you on national TV and that is history now, then we came out and the second issue was that of the car importation, and the issue of Dino Melaye’s certificate and then I was shockingly suspended for 180 days and it was not the committee that recommended that.

“My colleagues did not know about the report that was used to suspend me illegally and unconstitutionally for 180 days. That’s why I went quietly to court and you see the response of my people then.

“It is not fair for one among equal to take himself up, and use, take advantage of the gavel to rule instead of to lead, instead of to preside, that is what the constitution says. The Senate president is to preside, he doesn’t even have a vote, he has no voice. By the time you accept being the Senate president, you have lost your right to some extent as a senator until the Senate ties, that is when you come in to break the ties. This is not the case, as Senate president will say, ‘I direct so so so and my members…’.

“I mean, it’s very unfortunate, I personally did not expect this. That is how we got it wrong, because once an individual thinks he owns the Senate, and he dishes out the direction, and dishes out what he thinks, you’ll always get it wrong… 108 heads are better than one. But for now, Senate at certain point is like Dino and Saraki. It is very unfortunate,” he said.

THE WHISTLER recalls that Senator Ndume was suspended for 180 days by the Senate for comments he made against Saraki and Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, over a bulletproof car allegedly imported into the country without appropriate customs duty for the Senate President