Akpabio Vs Oshiomhole: Personal Ambitions Not Concern For Nat’l Development Motivation For Clash Over Standing Rule Amendment — Ningi
By Akanni Toba
Lawmaker representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, Abdul Ahmed Ningi, has berated both the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the legislator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, over their reactions concerning the amendment of the Senate standing rule.
Ningi noted that both the supporters and opposers of the standing rule amendment are not motivated by concern for national development or the integrity of the red chamber but by their personal ambitions.
The Bauchi lawmaker blasted his colleagues who suddenly became vociferous over the amendment of the standing rule for being silent and somewhat indifferent in the past over contentious national issues directly affecting the citizens.
He stressed that the hullabaloo surrounding the vexatious and controversial rule amendment was intense because the personal ambitions of both the proponents and opponents of the rule amendment could be affected.
Ningi, who currently chairs the Senate Committee on Sports, spoke on Saturday amid tensions triggered by the new eligibility conditions for Senate leadership offices.
“This is self-serving and self-centred from those who proposed and opposed it,” Ningi said.
“You are living witnesses when we stood up on this floor to raise our concern about the Electoral Act before the Senate after working with the committee on electoral matters for almost two years about some provisions. But in the name of party supremacy, people kept quiet.
“Now because some people feel they have ambition going forward, they believe they will be touched. This particular matter is not about Nigeria but about the Senate, the institution and those who want to aspire for leadership.”
The senator also revisited developments at the inauguration of the 10th Senate in 2023, alleging that the traditional ranking principle guiding appointments into principal offices and major committees was ignored.
According to him, several first-time senators were handed influential leadership positions and strategic committee chairmanships despite lacking parliamentary experience.
“In 2023 when we came, this particular ranking was thrown under the bus.
“A senator coming to the Senate for the first time, within the first week, became a principal officer and some of the biggest committees were given to first-time senators”, he noted.
Questioning the performance of some committee chairmen, Ningi claimed that several Senate committees had remained inactive since inauguration except during budget consideration sessions.
“At the end of the day after three and half years, what have those senators performed as chairmen of committees?
“Some could not even call meetings and some when they did, could not even preside. Journalists should investigate. There are committees whose chairmen have not called meetings since inception, not even one, except when it is budget.”
He continued, “So the entire scenario is being personalised and until we are ready to cure this malice, because a lot of laws were passed tailored to the advantage of a particular group, party and individual, that is the truth,” he stated.
The move to amend the Senate standing orders led to a heated confrontation between Akpabio and Oshiomhole during plenary earlier this week.
The revised rules now stipulate that only senators who have completed at least two consecutive terms are eligible to contest for the offices of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and other principal offices in the chamber.
Both Akpabio and Oshiomhole are from the South-south region of the country and some of the critics of the adopted standing orders are of the opinion that the order was specifically designed to shut out some ambitious first-term lawmakers from future leadership contests.
The clash was reportedly fuelled by insinuations within political circles that both Akpabio and Oshiomhole may be positioning themselves ahead of a future contest for the Senate presidency.
