POLITICS
Osun Assembly Confirms Members of Election Appeal Tribunal
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The Osun House of Assembly on Monday confirmed the three nominees to serve on the ‘Appeal Tribunal’ for the upcoming local government election in the state.
Those screened and confirmed are: Mr Oluwaseun Ajoba, Mrs Lateefat Agbaje and Mr Tajudeen A. Giwa.
The members of the tribunal were screened following their formal nomination by the Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo.
Mr Adewale Egbedun, Osun Assembly Speaker, after the confirmation, commended his colleagues for the successful exercise.
He also congratulated the nominees, urging them to prioritise the interests of the state in their upcoming responsibilities.
The Assembly, on Friday, requested that the nominees appear for screening today (Monday), after a letter of their nomination was received from the state Chief Judge.
The legislative said that the screening exercise was in accordance with the provisions of Section 93 (4) of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (Amendment No. 1) Law, 2024.
The Osun Local Government Election is scheduled to hold on Feb. 22 (NAN)
POLITICS
The Senate Rules and Natasha’s Outburst: Facts of the Matter
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By Ola Awoniyi
A drama on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, 20th February 2025, attracted varied commentaries on the social, print and broadcast media.
The drama was both unnecessary and avoidable as it merely distracted from the business of the day in the Chamber.Legislative activities, whether in the hallowed Chamber or in committee rooms, are guided by the Senate Rules.
This may lead a first-timer at the public gallery to wonder if lawmakers do anything without reference to their Standing Rules. Every time they get the recognition of the Presiding Officer to contribute to a discussion in the chamber, Senators are guided by the Standing Rules in what to say. This is well known to the lawmakers. The Rules also stipulate sanctions for members whose actions or conducts deviate from the Rules. The Chamber is called hallowed because it is known for Order and decorum.The drama of that Thursday started right at the commencement of the day’s business when the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, raised a Point of Order to report Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, to the Senate on her disregard for the Senate Rules. Order 6, which Senator Monguno cited, stipulates that “the President of the Senate shall allocate a seat to each senator,” while section 6(2) states that senators may only speak from the seat allocated to them by the Presiding Officer. It also provides that the President of the Senate may change the allocation from time to time as the need arises.
Senator Monguno, relying on the rules stated above, submitted that “It is at the discretion of the Senate president, as circumstances may warrant, to change the seat of any Senator, based on circumstances that may crop up in the course of proceedings in the Senate.
“In the course of proceedings, two Senators – Ned Nwoko of the PDP and Senator Francis Ezenwa of the Labour Party, decamped to the APC, thereby necessitating their movement from the other side (Minority) to this side (Majority). In the exercise of the powers conferred on the President of the Senate, pursuant to Order 6(2), the President of the Senate decided to rearrange things, giving a directive to the Chief Whip to exercise that function. And pursuant to that directive, seats were reallocated and I want to report that Senator Natasha, having been given another seat, refused to vacate her former seat in flagrant violation of our Rules.”
Senator Monguno consequently referred the Senate to the Standing Rules, which mandate Senator Natasha to comply with the directive of the Presiding Officer to move to her new seat, failure of which she would be denied recognition to make any contribution during plenary.
After the Chief Whip landed on his Point of Order, the Senate President hit the gavel and pronounced that the Point of Order was sustained. This means that Senator Natasha could not speak on the floor of the Senate except from the new seat allocated to her.
Upon the Senate President’s ruling on the Point of Order, Senator Natasha sprang to her feet, waving the same document containing the Standing Rules and shouting, “Point of Order.” However, the Senate President reminded her that she could not speak outside her allocated seat.
Senator Natasha ignored the Presiding Officer’s ruling and continued to scream, citing Order 10, which has to do with the breach of privileges of a Senator.
Because she continued to scream, the Senate President ordered the Seargent-At-Arms to “take her out of the Chamber.” The Seargent-At-Arms moved swiftly in her direction but hesitated to act, probably expecting the Senator to calm down and comply with the Senate President’s ruling and avert her evacuation from the Chamber. However, the Senate President kept a dignified silence. He did not repeat his directive, obviously to avert aggravating the drama.
By this time, some Senators had walked over to pet Senator Natasha, but she rebuffed their intervention and continued uttering discourteous statements.
Against the backdrop of the unfortunate drama, commentators have raised some questions: Why should the Senate President reallocate Senators’ seats? Why can’t Senators speak from any seat in the Chamber? Why wasn’t Senator Natasha allowed to explain her objection to her seat being changed?
A reference was also made to an incident on 17th October 2018 when Senator Godswill Akpabio protested being denied recognition to speak from a seat other than the one allocated to him. Are the two incidents similar?
The answers to the questions above are provided by the Senate Rules and Procedure. The Standing Orders book guides the Senate’s legislative business.
Pertinent to this issue, are clauses that empower the Senate President to allocate and reallocate seats as the need arises. Seats change in the Chamber from time to time without senators protesting because they know that occasions demand it and their rules permit it.
Senators do not sit just anywhere at the plenary. This is to ensure Order and decorum in the hallowed Chamber. The practice in the Parliament all over the democratic world is that members sit with their party colleagues. Ruling party or majority party members have a section in the Chamber and those of the opposition or minority parties another section.
A movement of members across party lines through defection will automatically necessitate an adjustment of the sitting arrangement.
Therefore, as explained by the Senate Chief Whip on Thursday, the change of Senator Natasha’s seat was made necessary by the defection on Wednesday 5th February 2025 of Senator Ned Nwoko of the Delta North Senatorial District from the PDP to the APC and Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi of the Imo East Senatorial District from Labour Party to APC as well.
Therefore, Senator Natasha was not the only Senator affected by the changes in the sitting arrangement. The difference with the others was that they graciously accepted the change, obviously seeing no point in making a drama out of an innocuous, routine development in the hallowed Chamber.
Was Senator Natasha denied her right to speak in the Chamber that day? Nope. She was not recognised to speak because she was not on her seat, just like Senator Akpabio was not allowed to speak from Senator Ali Ndume’s seat in 2018, even though Akpabio moved over to another seat that day because the microphone on his allocated seat had malfunctioned.
The then Senate President, Bukola Saraki was firm in his ruling that Akpabio would only be allowed to speak from an alternative seat (with a functioning microphone), which the Clerk of the Senate already provided him, but which he had rejected. Akpabio protested, but he eventually accepted the reallocated seat and apologized to the Senate.
That shows that Akpabio did not invent the rule that prevented Senator Natasha from speaking outside the seat allocated to her. He also did not apply the Rules to embarrass or victimize her.
Granting her recognition to speak after a Point of Order was raised by the Chief Whip and sustained would have been inconsistent with the Senate Rule. All that Senator Natasha was asked to do was to move to her seat to state her case of the alleged breach of her privilege.
It is noteworthy that neither of her two Senator colleagues from Kogi State agreed with Natasha on this issue. Senator Jibrin Isah, representing Kogi East, apologized on behalf of the Kogi Senate Caucus to the Senate while Senator Sunday Karimi, representing Kogi West, asked Natasha to apologise to the Senate for her conduct.
To demonstrate that he had no personal issues with her, the Senate President eventually offered an apology to the Senate on her behalf for holding up the day’s proceeding, citing his own 2018 experience of how a firm application of the Rules can hurt some egos and be misinterpreted.
***Ola Awoniyi writes from Abuja
POLITICS
APC Woos North-Central PDP Leaders
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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Ahead of 2027 general election, the North-Central All Progressives Congress, (APC) Forum has urged elders and leaders of the region, who are currently in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition political parties to join the ruling party.
The Forum, in a statement released on Monday, said only the APC administration led by President Bola Tinubu can guarantee the interests of the North-Central zone.
In the statement, signed by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC presidential campaign council in the 2023 election, the APC Forum identified the North-Central leaders being wooed to join the party to include ex-Senate President David Mark, former Plateau State governor Jonah Jang, ex-Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu, former Senate President and erstwhile Kwara governor Bukola Saraki, and former Benue governors Gabriel Suswam and Samuel Ortom, as well as former PDP national chairman, Professor Iyorchia Ayu.
The Forum noted that, unlike the neglect and marginalization the region suffered when the PDP was in power, the people of the North-Central are now enjoying the dividends of democracy due to the magnanimity of the APC government led by Tinubu.
“We urge them to consider the development of the region before party interest.
“We are advising former Senate Presidents Bukola Saraki and David Mark, former governors Babangida Aliyu, Jonah Jang, Gabriel Suswam, and Samuel Ortom, as well as the former national chairman of the PDP, Professor Iyorchia Ayu, and other elders and leaders of the North-Central to come to the APC because that is the party that loves the people of the region.
“They should consider APC because that is the party that is good to the North-Central. The people of the North-Central are receiving the dividends of democracy under the APC government led by President Bola Tinubu, and that is why we were the first to endorse him for a second term.
“These North-Central elders and political leaders should put party aside and put the interest of the zone first by joining the APC. We urge them to give Mr. President the moral support to continue transforming the fortunes of the zone.”
The APC Forum pointed out that major road networks in the North-Central, which suffered neglect during the PDP years, are now receiving the attention of the Federal Government.
“The roads include the Jos-Akwanga road, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa road, Makurdi-Ankpa road, Jos-Saminaka/Kaduna road, Minna-Bida road, and Ejule-Otukpa road. Others are the Ganawuri-Manchok road, Lokoja-Abuja road, Lapai-Agaie-Bida road, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa road, and Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora road.
“There were little or no federal projects in the North-Central during the PDP government. Major federal roads across the North-Central were neglected and in a dilapidated state for several years without any intervention by the Federal Government,” the statement noted.
Further highlighting why the APC is best for the North-Central, the Forum pointed to the recent establishment of the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC) following the signing of the enactment bill by the President.
“The President’s action showed that he is a listening President. He listened to the cries of the North-Central APC Forum, which had agitated for the creation of a Development Commission for the region, as had been done for the other geo-political zones—for the sake of equity and justice,” the statement observed, adding that the Commission would ensure the accelerated development of the region.
The North-Central APC stakeholders added that the region has been given prominent positions, including key ministerial portfolios, in the APC Federal Government.
The statement identified key ministries headed by ministers from the North-Central to include: the Ministry of Justice, headed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, from Kwara; the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, headed by Mohammed Idris from Niger State; the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, headed by Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda from Plateau; the Ministry of Women Affairs, headed by Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim from Nasarawa; the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, headed by Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo from the Federal Capital Territory; and the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, headed by Prof. Joseph Utsev from Benue.
“Added to these is the high-profile position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), given to the North-Central, with Senator George Akume of Benue State holding the office,” the statement said.
The Forum added that the Tinubu-led APC government has made considerable progress in tackling insecurity in the North-Central.
“The current level of insecurity in the North-Central is less than what was obtainable during previous administrations. Before now, it was difficult for our people, who are mostly farmers, to go to their farms because of insecurity. But now, due to the leadership provided by Mr. President, who has given marching orders to the Armed Forces and other security agencies, the people can now go to their farms to cultivate and harvest their crops,” the Forum said.
Further urging the North-Central political leaders and elders in the opposition to join the APC, the Forum observed that the PDP leadership had sidelined the party’s chieftains from the region.
“North-Central elders like Saraki, Iyorchia Ayu, David Mark, Jonah Jang, Suswam, Ortom, and Babangida Aliyu have been sidelined by the current leadership of the PDP.
“We are not happy that these eminent personalities of the North-Central are being sidelined in their party, the PDP, and that is another reason why we want them to find a home in the APC.
“They are welcome to join the APC anytime. We assure them that they will feel valued and appreciated in the APC, unlike what they are going through in the PDP, which does not even have a future due to the problems in the party.”
POLITICS
PDP Hails Gov. Adeleke, Osun People Over Successful LG Election
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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Government and people of Osun State for the successful conduct and outcome of the Saturday, February 22 Local Government Area election in the State.
According to the PDP, the success and outcome of the free, fair, transparent and credible Local Government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) is a resounding triumph of democracy, the Rule of Law, Constitutional Principle of true federalism and the Will of the people of Osun State over the All Progressives Congress (APC) anti-democratic forces that sought to illegally and forcefully take control of their State.
“Our Party salutes the people of Osun State for the courage in asserting their sovereignty and Constitutional right by coming out enmasse to vote in the election despite the vicious attempt by the APC to intimidate them and subvert the democratic process.”
The PDP further asserted that its sweeping victory across the 30 Local Government Areas in the State in spite of the machinations of the APC is in further demonstration of PDP’s political supremacy in Osun State, the South West geo-political zone and across the nation.
“Moreover, the PDP’s overwhelming victory in the election comes as the people’s response to the outstanding achievements of Governor Adeleke in his massive delivery of life-enhancing infrastructural, citizen empowerment and human capital projects in all critical sectors including power, healthcare, education, road construction, water resources, agriculture and food production among others in line with the manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP.
“The PDP congratulates and charges the newly elected Osun State Local Government Chairmen and Councillors to be guided by Governor Adeleke’s vision so that the people at the grassroots will continue to enjoy the dividends of his people-first policy direction in governance.”