A group, Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD), has faulted the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and his Deputy, Ovie Omo-Agege, of secretly planning to change the Senate Standing Order and Rules on ranking to facilitate the emergence of a newly elected senator as Senate President in the 10th Assembly, Politics Nigeria reports.
In a statement made available to the journalists on Wednesday, The group convener Aliyu Abdullahi, said his organisation has filed a suit at the federal high court in Abuja, to prevent the plot from happening.
In his words:“We are waiting for a date for the commencement of proceedings,”
By the senate standing rules and precedents, ranking lawmakers are elected as presiding officers.
The National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a bicameral legislature established under section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Apparently to lay emphasis on legislative experience, the ranking rule practice states that the more a member stays in chamber, the higher his or her ranking status, which is considered in occupation of positions of responsibilities that include the leadership and headship of some committees.
Abdullahi said Ahmad Lawan, the senate president, and Ovie Omo-Agege, his deputy, should block such a move by preventing a “secret” amendment to the standing orders of the upper legislative chamber.
Buttressing his point,“We want to state categorically that this move cannot stand because it is a clear violation of section 311 of the 1999 (as amended, fifth alteration, No. 8),” he said.
“We warn that nobody should surreptitiously alter or produce any fake aspect of the standing orders without approval and adoption by members.
“It is therefore undemocratic for outgoing legislators who benefitted from the ‘ranking’ provision to now be planning to scuttle the implementation of such a beautiful piece of legislation.” he concluded.
