Again PDP Senators Shut Down Senate As APC Senators, Youths Movement Kick

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Wednesday, November 5th, 2014

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

For the second day running, Senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), shut down the Senate again through abrupt adjournment few minutes after commencement of plenary session.

The aggrieved senators had earlier on Tuesday, shut down the Senate in like manner in protest against last Saturday’s PDP ward congresses held across the country which they alleged, were hijacked by state governors who allegedly shut out their supporters out of the exercise.

Senate Leader,Victor Ndoma Egba (PDP Cross River Central) who again, moved the motion for the abrupt adjournment immediately after approval of votes and proceedings of Tuesday sittings , said: “Mr Senate President, considering the mood of the Senate, I move that we stand down every item on the Order Paper to another legislative date”.

Though the Motion was seconded by the Senate Deputy minority whip, Senator Ahmed Sani(APC Zamfara West), but other APC Senators kicked against the repeated abrupt adjournments in the Senate.

Senator Babafemi Ojudu (APC Ekiti Central), who briefed journalists on behalf of other APC lawmakers after the hurried adjournment, threatened that APC Senators may sit in Senate today to attend to urgent national legislative issues.

He accused the PDP senators of holding the Nation to ransom on personal and not national interests, saying the injustice they alleged to be fighting against now , has been what they and their party, have been inflicting on APC senators over the last three years.

“The Peoples Democratic Party senators are now victims of their party’s impunity in a democracy, now they are complaining. If we have our way, we will come here tomorrow and sit. It is not about personal interest, it is about the interest of the party. It should be about our people.

“Now they have seen injustice, they are fighting. We have seen injustice for more than two and half years. We wanted to fight, our colleagues did not allow us to fight. Why must it be that it is when it affect us that we act?

“People should have standards. Now that they have seen that a lot of them are no longer welcome back in their homes, now that they have realized that they have made themselves slaves to the executive, they are shouting. When you present yourself as a slave, definitely, you will be treated as a slave.

“That is the consequences of their actions over the years. But Nigeria voted them here to come and work. We must work. Unfortunately, under the rules, we cannot work.

” That is why the opposition senators were busy shouting, Nay! Nay!! Nay !!! When the motion for adjournment was moved by the senate leader. If we are working for Nigeria, we should be seen to be doing so. Now that the PDP senators have problems with their party, President and governors, they are not allowing us to work. We want to really work now but the system does not allow us.

“It is unfortunate that the 2015 budget will be affected but we are in the minority, we had our say but they have their way. We are going to call a meeting of our party caucus and we are going to discuss this. We even expected that they will call us to an executive meeting and then we discuss this matter. They don’t have to come in and adjourn like that. Some of us came from our constituencies in far away places so that we could sit for this week. But here we are, we are not allowed to sit.

Also kicking against repeated abrupt adjournment in Senate along with long adjournment in the House of Representatives, a group of Youth Movement by name National Youths Movement For Peace Empowerment and Transformation, stormed the National Assembly yesterday condemning the actions and threatening to storm the two chambers in a week’s time if they don’t reconvene.

Spokesman of the group, Emmanuel Amakiri, said the actions of the two chambers on adjournments at this time, was an abnormality of the highest order which would be resisted by them and other Nigerians.

He said:”Our group is saddled with the responsibility of preaching peaceful coexistence of this country. We wish that our cry would be heard by Senate President, David Mark, as Chairman of the National Assembly to reopen the National Assembly as a matter of urgency.

“This is not a threat. We are giving them till the next 10 days, we are going to send messages round to our people in all the 36 states because we have over 5000 youths who will march to National Assembly.

“For the Senate to be in solidarity with Tambuwal by adjourning sittings shows that there struggle is not based on morals or on legality. They are doing all these as a means of putting pressure on the Presidency to favour them in certain aspects. We are here to say that the action of the federal legislature is an act of impunity.

“We are hereby saying that Tambuwal got it wrong by going on break when Nigeria needs him most. Mubi, Maiduguri, Yola is on fire. It is a sin against the people and it is high time for the youths to rise up and salvage the situation.

“They should reconvene the House because their action is against the interest of the people. If they failed to do so, by the time we come back in 10 days time we are going to pull down the gates of the National Assembly for the people to have access to the chambers.