The Senate on Tuesday reconvened from its three-week break and passed a vote of confidence on its embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and other principal officers of the upper house.
This is an indication that as the resistance to the direct interference of the ruling All Progressives Congress by its lawmakers at the House of Representatives was caving in, with the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as Leader of House, senators backing the Senate President Bukola Saraki, are growing in numbers.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East) sponsored the vote of confidence motion, which got the endorsement of 80 other senators in a Senate comprising 109 senators.
But with the seat of the Borno Central Senatorial District is yet to be filled, the Senate is currently made up of 108 senators.
The principal officers, who got the backing of their colleagues, are the Majority Leader, Ali Ndume; Deputy Majority Leader, Bala Na’Allah; Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye and Deputy Chief Whip, Francis Aimikhena.
The motion was apparently in response to recent harassment of the leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly over alleged forgery of order paper of the Senate.
Also last week’s invitation of Mr. Saraki’s wife, Toyin, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over corruption charges is seen in political circles as part of the orchestrated plot by the presidency to break the resolve of the senators and force them to act in tow with the wishes of the leadership of the APC.
Ekweremadu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, were questioned by the police over alleged forgery of the Senate rules on June 9 when the senate president and his deputy were elected.
Saraki was elected unopposed by 57 senators, comprising mostly PDP members, with Ekweremadu benefiting from the flux created by the overarching APC leaders, who chose to resort to a meeting at a time fixed for the inauguration of the Senate, to become the Deputy Senate President.
Anyanwu brought to the attention of the Senate series of harassment of the Senate and senators, the National Assembly Management and spouses of senators by security agencies of government.
According to him, the Senate is determined to perform its constitutional duties and responsibilities without fear of favour and focus on matters of urgent matters of interest and importance to the ordinary people of Nigeria if party Hawks would let them be..
Anyanwu deplore do what he called the sustained interference in the internal affairs of the Senate by detractors and media propaganda against the Senate and senators by “selfish politicians”.
He therefore urged his colleagues to pass a vote of confidence on Messrs Saraki and Ekweremadu and the entire leadership.
The senators also called on the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies in Nigeria not to allow themselves to be used by any person or persons to harass, intimate or blackmail the Senate, senators and or their spouses.
The motion received unanimous endorsement with all senators present adopting it.
