PLAN TO VETO BUHARI: Lawmakers form new groups to fight Saraki, Dogara

As plans by both chambers of the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018, gather steam, a new splinter group has emerge in the Senate.

The group, named Parliamentary Support Group (Senate) for President Muhammadu Buhari, is chaired by Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State, with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege from Delta state as secretary. The two leaders of the new group are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

There is a similar group in the House of Representatives. The identity of the leadership in the lower legislative chamber was yet to be unearthed as at the time of filing in this report.

In the Senate, there are already over 20 members of the group, who are meeting frequently to strategise on how to counter plans by the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly to override Buhari.

Beside Adamu and Omo-Agege, there are 9 senators who have openly identified with the group. They are Abu Ibrahim, Benjamin Uwajumogu, Ali Wakil, Abdullahi Gumel, Binta Masi, Yahaya Abdullahi, Andrew Uchendu and Umaru Kurfi.

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It was learnt that some senators, predominantly from the North West, North East and South West, are secretly rooting for the group.

Eleven, out of 20 alleged promoters of the splinter group, are currently facing ‘trial’ before the Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Samuel Anyanwu.

The emergence of the group, is a fallout of plans by Bukola Saraki-led Senate and Yakubu Dogara-led House of Representatives to override Buhari’s veto.

Last week, governors, ministers, members of the new group and some members of the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), last week Tuesday, met in Lafia, Nasarawa state capital, to work out modalities on how to frustrate plans by both chambers of the National Assembly to override the president’s veto.

Last Wednesday night, more APC governors, ministers and members of both chambers of the National Assembly, met at the Abuja home of a former governor of Nasarawa state, Adamu.

Saraki has already been advised by the legal department of the National Assembly to ignore reasons advanced by Buhari for withholding his assent to the amendment bill.

By Ehisuan Odia…

 

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