By Raphael Ekpang
It was really a defining moment on Tuesday for the Nigeria Senate as the Senate leader, Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele for once after he emerged as the leader on the floor of the Senate spoke on his capacity as a Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria and not a leader where he exposed plot by a few northern Senators to oust the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Opeyemi without mincing words accused Ningi representing Bauchi Central of leading the plot to impeach the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio by a few unapologetic and disgruntled Senators who are head bent in discrediting activities of the Senate under Akpabio for reasons best known to them.
He maintained that Ningi was playing a script written by few Senators, who were still hurting from the loss of the Senate leadership elections held in June last year.
The Senate leader stated this while contributing to debate on the floor of the Senate over the allegations by Ningi that the 2024 budget was padded with the sum of three trillion naira. He noted further that the attempt to take over the Senate’s leadership beyond June 13, 2023, must come to an end.
Reacting to allegations of budget padding levelled against the President of the Senate by Senator Ningi, Bamidele said ” Over 60 Senators voted for Akpabio, and over 40 voted against him. That’s the will of the majority. But a few have refused to let the electioneering activities pass them by. They still hold bile, and that is why it is always about Akpabio, never about the Senate, never about the House of Representatives, the Director General of Budget.
“All of us passed this budget, and it was never about Mr President who signed this budget. It is always about Akpabio. We have momentum; this is a defining moment for all of us to say if we are going to have a stable Senate.
“It is not about North and South. It is about our rules (the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria). It is about our people who are hungry and deprived. Mr President, sitting as Chair, make no mistake of people who feel they are not going to give you more than one year, to spend on this chair, they want to do everything possible before the 13th of June to remove you.
Opeyemi went down memory lane on the hatred of northern Senators against a southern Senate President when he said, “I want Nigerians to know for history’s sake that the last time the people of South-South had a chance to be Senate President was 40 years ago. The last time the South had a chance to be Senate President was during Obasanjo’s administration when it went to the South East.
“Five people were elected because they were impeached in quick succession. But as soon as it left the South, we had peace because we (the South) will always cooperate. David Mark spent eight years. Ahmad Lawan spent four peaceful years. Even Saraki, with all he did, spent four peaceful years.
“It is about Akpabio; it is about the South; you can now understand why Senator Ningi will want to use the platform of the Northern Senators Forum to push an agenda even when they disagreed with him. Mr President, I plead with you that this is an opportunity for us to let our rules prevail.”
However, the Senate later suspended Senator Ningi for three months over his claim that the 2024 Budget was padded to the tune of N3.7 trillion
