Saraki Snubs Senator Ali Ndume’s Request

A former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), yesterday, resumed at the Senate after serving a 90 legislative days’ suspension and made a special request from his colleagues.

Ndume was suspended in March, following a point of order he raised on the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Dino Melaye (APC).

At 11.25am, the Borno Senator raised a point of order and requested that a one-minute silence be observed in honour of late Senator Isiaka Adeleke who died in April.

“You know that I’ve been away for seven and a half months and Adeleke died while I was not around. I want to appeal that a one-minute silence be observed in his honour.

“In my absence, the President assented to the North East Development Commission (NEDC), the bill which I sponsored together with Senator Kabir Gaya....”he said.

But in his response, Saraki only said, “Your point of order is noted.”

The one-minute silence was not observed till the end of yesterday’s session.

It could be recalled that when Adeleke died, the senators did not only observe a one-minute silence, but also suspended plenary for a day.

Addressing newsmen after the session, Ndume said he would go to Saudi Arabia for the Lesser Hajj, adding “I’m a son of nobody who became somebody without knowing anybody.”