Why Senate Suspended Ndume

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Senate on Wednesday finally pulled the trigger on its former Majority Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, by sending him on compulsory political leave for six months.
The suspension of Ndume, which political event watchers described as late in coming, was as a result of what his style of politics in playing the card of the executive arm of government as against that of the Senate even as Senate Majority Leader.
Ndume has been wrongly or otherwise perceived by his colleagues in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly as a sellout, particularly against the backdrop of their feeling of being used by Ndume to get the position of the Senate Majority Leader. Ndume after his emergence as Majority Leader, according to his colleagues, commenced backdoor tactics in siding with the Presidency against the Senate.
Initially, the Ethics, Privileges and Petitions Committee that investigated the allegations he leveled against the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, over the purchase of an SUV bullet proof Range Rover jeep and non-completion of Degree programme by Senator Dino Melaye had recommended that Borno-born Senator should be suspended for 181 days.
Furious Senators, who were visibly bitter with Ndume over his numerous antics and his attempt to gain cheap popularity at the expense of the Senate by going against decisions and resolutions arrived at by the upper chamber of the National Assembly, welcomed with both hands as the opportune time to strike Ndume had came in handy.
They collectively agreed and accused Ndume of embarking on smear campaign against the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki. His suspension came following a point of Order he raised last week in which he accused the Senate President of embarking on a vengeance mission against the Comptroller- General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (retd).
Ndume specifically said the Nigerian Customs Service impounded a bulletproof SUV valued at N298 million that was imported into the country by Saraki. He also alleged that the President of the Senate had refused to pay Customs duty of N74 million that was import duty on the car.
The Senate, which received the report of its Ethics and Privileges Committee, chaired by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, found Ndume guilty of not “making due diligence” before filing petition against Saraki and Melaye. The committee had on Monday convened investigative hearing on the matter, with a summation that Ndume failed to conduct proper investigation before making the grievous and weighty allegations.
The former Majority Leader had on several occasions in the electronic media criticized the position of the Senate over its insistence that the Comptroller General of the Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali, must put on Service uniforms before he can appear before it. Ndume said he saw such a position as double standard since the same Senate did not insist on the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, on wearing the uniform of the police before he appeared before it for screening which is even more serious.
While serving as Majority Leader of the Senate, Ndume had tried, even though unsuccessfully, to turn upside down the resolution of the Senate on the contract awards in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), camps in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) David Babachir Lawal as he was quickly countered by the Senate spokesman.
The former Majority Leader of the Senate is also believed to have drawn the battle line between himself and the Senate President, Senator Saraki for allegedly masterminding his removal from office as Majority Leader, a position he was known to have so cherished.
However, last week, after his motion for the probing of Senator Saraki, who was at the CCT facing trial, the Senate President was said to have told him frontally that he would get swallowed up in the political pit he was trying to dig.
For now, Ndume has lost round one of the wrestling bout which may either force him to calm down or mobilise political weapon of mass destruction to ground Saraki and his supporters. One thing is sure; the punch on the Borno South Senator is so devastating and he would certainly require time to recover.