Senator Ndume To Akpabio: No One Is Too Big To Learn

The Chief Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) has expressed concerns over the way and manner the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has been carrying out legislative procedures and processes of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Ndume, who stated this while giving reasons why he stormed out of the Senate on Tuesday, said that it was his responsibility as the Chief Whip to guide the Senate on how legislative procedure and processes should be followed and conducted.

This came on the heels of complaints by some Senators over the way and manner the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been handling the affairs of the Senate without following laid down rules in accordance with established procedures and processes.

Buttressing his position, Ndumwe said that nobody is too big to learn even as he explained that he did not walk out of the Senate but, it was time for him to go for prayers in the Mosque having earlier performed abolition.

The Senate President had ruled Senator Ndume out of order following a point of order he raised which was predicated Order 54 of the Senate Standing Rules.

In the words of Ndume; “I raised a point and the Senate President ruled me out of order and I had to leave because it was close to 1:30 pm and whatever business we are doing, I normally go to pray.

“That was what happened. I was just trying to guide the Senate President. We are all learning, including the Senate President.

“But, the press misinterpreted it and the Senate President misinterpreted it, that I got annoyed and left. When I got to the office, they said the Senate was in executive session. That I should come because we said we should have executive session.

“I said let me go to the executive session briefly because I have already performed ablution and continued to the Mosque,” he explained.

During the Senate plenary, Senator Ndume had raised a point  order 54, stressing that it was the responsibility of the Chief Whip to remind and guild Senate on procedure and processes of plenary.

Ndume had through the order made attempt to draw the attention of the Senate President to matters relating to proceedings of Senate.

But President of Senate, after listening to Ndume’s point of order, ruled that the section quoted by the Chief Whip was not same with the content of order 54 he cited and therefore ruled him out of order.

Following the ruling of Senator Akpabio, an infuriated Ndume gathered his files and other documents on his table and left the plenary for his office.

Following the storming out of the plenary, the Senate President quickly called for a closed session.