The removal of Senator Ali Ndume as the senate majority leader was the headliner act as the senate returned to plenary after the festive season break. Making the announcement, the senate president, Bukola Saraki, read out a letter from the APC caucus, informing the Borno born Senator of his removal as the senate majority leader. The senate did not provide a reason for his removal. The absence of such an official reason has since led to varied purported reasons from both of the parties involved.
In a move that was supposed to garner empathy for the senator, he said the removal shocked him as it was a total surprise. According to reports, Mr Ndume was not on the floor of the house as he went to pray while the letter to remove him was read. That sounds empathic, right? But the caucus of the APC members in the house are having none of that.
Even though no reason was given for his removal, it appears Mr Ndume’s reported differences with the senate leadership, especially on the confirmation of controversial EFCC boss, Magu, played a part in his removal. Ibrahim Magu was rejected due to a corruption report from the Department of State Services against him (Mr Magu). Mr Ndume, knowing of the rejection, reportedly went to the media to deny such. His action prompted the senate to release a counter statement informing the populace of the resolution of the house. The perceived support of Magu has thus helped brewed a feud of sorts between himself and some people who appeared to be opposed to the confirmation of the EFCC boss.
After expressing his disappointment with the way the caucus kicked him out, despite tendering his resignation thrice which was rejected by the caucus, Senator Ndume, on Wednesday at plenary, agreed to vacate the position for the new Senate majority leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan.
It, however, appears that beyond the Magu-related reason for the removal of Ndume, the move is not unconnected from the attempt of the senate to realign with the presidency. The move to replace Ndume was not just a caucus decision, it was a party (APC) decision.
The leadership crisis that has lingered in the senate started when Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as the president of the eighth senate against a widely publicised decision of the party that favoured Senator Ahmed Lawan.
When the leadership of the party then put Senator Ahmed Lawan forward as the candidate for the senate majority leader position, Saraki, in his famous letter, replied that “his hands were tied.” His emergence heralded the strain between the legislature and the presidency. Political analysts have also described the trial of the senate president at the Code of Conduct Bureau as a political trial which will be dismissed once the internal differences within the party are resolved.
It was against this backdrop that the leadership of the legislature and the executive had several meetings towards the end of the year 2016. It thus appear that the decision to relieve Mr Ndume of the position which has pitched the factions of the party against each other is the latest of the moves by the party to come together in supposed preparation for the 2019 election. It however remains to be seen if the emergence of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the Senate Majority leader will be the missing bolt in the much talked about welding of the factions of the ruling party.
