Two principal members of the Senate Unity Forum, Senators Suleiman Hunkunyi and Kabiru Marafa, on Tuesday demanded the immediate cancellation of the additional eight committees created last week by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the grounds of illegality.
They also sought the review of the entire process which led to the appointment of chairmen and vice chairmen of the committees, claiming that the selection committee, headed by Saraki, was not properly constituted.
The SUF is made up of All Progressives Congress senators who worked against the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as president of the upper chamber.
Hunkunyi, the Secretary of the group and Marafa, the spokesperson, made the demand while raising different points of order on the floor of the Senate, to protest the announcement of the committees by Saraki last week Wednesday.
They argued that the senate leadership erred by not seeking the approval of the entire senators before making public the new committees despite the fact that necessary sections of the nation’s constitution and the senate rules made adequate provisions for that.
Marafa, who was appointed chairman of the newly created National Identity & National Population, and Hunkunyi, the Vice-Chairman of the committee on Federal Character & Inter Governmental Affairs, expressed their determination to relinquish their appointments with immediate effect.
While Saraki ruled that the observations of Marafa would be noted by the selection committee, he ruled Hunkunyi out of order since he had already addressed the issues as raised by the spokesperson of the SUF.
Not satisfied with the ruling of the senate president, both senators addressed journalists after plenary.
Marafa (APC-Zamfara Central) said the committees were not subjected to the approval of all senators in plenary, explaining that Section 62 (4) of the constitution stated that all committees must be approved by all senators.
Another set of issues in this 8th Senate. Let's see how the drama ends.
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