The senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi, has described the amendment of the Senate standing rules as self-serving and driven by personal interests.
The amendment gives only senators who have spent at least eight years in the chamber the right to contest for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President.
Papers News reports that Ningi expressed his displeasure while speaking with journalists after the plenary on Thursday.
The amendment has generated controversy since it was introduced in the chamber on Tuesday.
Before the change, the Senate rules allowed any ranking senator to contest for presiding offices. A ranking senator was defined as one who had served at least four years in the National Assembly.
Ningi said the latest amendment appeared to target certain ambitions within the Senate.
He said, “This is self-serving and self-centred from those who moved it and those who opposed it. You’re a living witness when we stood up on this floor to raise our concerns about the Electoral Act as presented before the Senate. Having worked in the committee on Electoral Matters for almost two years, we raised serious concerns about some provisions that are in the Electoral Act.
“In the name of party supremacy, people kept quiet. Now, because some people feel they have ambition…This particular matter is not about Nigeria; it is about the Senate and those who want to aspire.”
Ningi Faults Appointment Of First-Term Senators
The Bauchi senator also recalled that ranking was not strictly applied in 2023 when principal officers and committee chairpersons were appointed.
He said some first-term senators were given major responsibilities despite lacking experience in the chamber.
Ningi said, “In 2023, when we came here, this particular ranking was thrown under the box. You could see the principal officers who are coming to the Senate for the first time, and a senator who is coming to the Senate for the first time.
“The biggest of the committees was given to new senators. After three and a half years, how have those senators performed as chairmen of committees? Sometimes, when they come, they cannot even preside.”
Ningi said lawmakers often complain only when decisions affect their interests. He alleged that some committees had not been active except during budget consideration.
He said, “People make noise when it touches them. There are committees that have been set up for three and a half years, whose chairmen have not called for one meeting except when it is budget.
“So the entire scenario has been seen as personalised, and therefore until we’re ready to cure this menace, we’ll continue to see it because a lot of laws are passed tailored to particular groups, tailored to particular party advantage, and tailored to certain individuals.”
