Senate Debate On Yar'Adua Inconclusive, Continues On Wednesday

After five hours behind closed-doors yesterday, the Senate could still not reach a conclusion on whether President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua should transmit a letter that would enable Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to act or not. And in Lagos, some prominent Nigerians met to review the state of the nation coming out with a damning verdict.

The senators locked themselves in the Upper Legislative Chamber between 11.55 am and 4.53pm. 
Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze, told journalists immediately after the session that the Senate Leadership resolved to give every Senator the opportunity to speak on the matter because of its sensitive nature, pointing out that it had to extend the usual sitting period beyond the normal 2 pm.
Eze added however that he would be playing God if he said that the Senate would be able to reach a conclusion today.

It was the second time the Upper Legislative House would be debating the health conditions of President Yar'Adua, with the first one ending in a resolution to invite the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed. 
While the secret debate was on, many Senators were seen coming out individually to take fresh air apparently as a result of the heated session.

A Senator declared that it would not be possible to end the deliberation yesterday. He subsequently sent one of his aides to buy food for him. In his press briefing, Eze said: 
"We have been behind closed-doors in the last five hours or thereabouts to look at the issues before us, especially the issues revolving round the health of Mr. President and the briefing we received from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and all other developments surrounding the matter in the last couple of days and weeks.

As you can see, it was a very painstaking session and it was the determination of the leadership of the Senate that every member of the Senate who wants to speak will be given the opportunity to do so. We had to extend our sitting period and yet we are not able to exhaust opportunity for everybody to speak. So, discussions and deliberations will continue tomorrow (today) also in closed session and then we are going to conclude and come out with a position at the end of tomorrow (today)."

On whether there was a division along sectional lines, Ayogu said: 
"The Senate will always act in the best interest of the Nigerian people. It was as a result of the sensitive nature of the matter that we are determined to discuss the matter in closed session to find a way of moving the country forward. So, we are acting in the best interest of Nigerians. We are looking at the issue and I am not going to follow you in your speculations because what I will report will be fact and not speculation and I will report it at the appropriate time." 
Eze may be right as many lawmakers from the North joined those asking for a letter to be sent to the National Assembly so that Jonathan can act.

While the debate lasted, Senator Kamaru Adedibu, stepped out for a few minutes, and an impatient journalist confronted him with the observation that they were staying too long. Adedibu looked at him for a long time and said: "We are staying throughout today." He then ordered for his lunch. On resumption of plenary yesterday, the Senate, for some inexplicable reason, chose to discuss the report of the Committee on Education on the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, presented by Senator Joy Emodi.

The public gallery was nonplussed, because the Senate spokesman, Eze, had given the impression that the Senate was going to resume a closed session before announcing its position to the country. Over one hour into the discussion of the committee report, an unusual movement began on the floor. The impatience was telling on the floor. Members began to gather in small groups. Many were in the tearoom, and their voices were filtering into the chamber.

The Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, moved over to the podium to whisper to the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark. No one is sure of what both leaders discussed, but the deliberations on the Education bill suddenly ended, and the Upper House went into closed session. At about 4.30 pm, a Delta Senator stepped out of the Senate Chamber to route a call to a former governor who is known to be working against the interest of the Vice President, to tell him all was not going well even though they still had some upper hand.

At a point, it filtered out that some angry lawmakers were already insisting that Vice President Goodluck Jonathan must act. One former State Chief Executive from the Southwest got out of the chamber, and was allegedly singing a song that Jonathan must act. But Ayogu Eze told journalists that no loud agitation or singing took place. A prominent Senator known to be pushing for the Vice President to act said no singing took place. "That would be irresponsible of us, but I can assure you that we moved a step further to achieving the aim of getting Vice President to act."

The politicking was on even as it emerged that a particular adviser to Yar'Adua has been making frantic efforts to debunk an allegation made against him by one senior government official that the President transmitted a letter, which he did not deliver. "He is saying he is being set up as a fall guy when everything finally comes to a head," a source said. Some senators went to the restroom and were allegedly arguing over the need for a decision to be taken yesterday.

One of them wondered whether it was because of the huge sum they got quarterly that they were vacillating on a decision. Other lawmakers were said to have insisted that it was no surprise that they were divided because it had also emerged that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had become divided behind the Number One Citizen and his deputy. Those in the Senate backing the President insisted that since a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, gave an order four days ago, members should wait for the next 10 days to take a decision.

All efforts to get Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) to give an interpretation of the court ruling vis- a- vis the debate on the floor failed. "When he raised his hand, he was not recognized, so what do you expect him to do? It is all part of the politics," a senator said. But another told The Guardian: "He did not call Victor because he did not want principal officers to speak today (yesterday). But I think he is reserving them for tomorrow (today)."

In another development a group of leaders of thought under the aegis of Natural Political Leaders (NPL) yesterday met in Lagos where it reviewed the state of the nation and handed down the verdict that the country is in a sorry state. Members of the group, among whom were former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, leader of pro-democracy Nigeria Unite for Democracy, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Ralph Obioha and Lagos State Democratic Peoples' Alliance chairman, Chief Supo Shonibare at the meeting held in the Lagos House of Braithwaite also lamented the ridicule Nigeria's name had been subjected to in the international community as well as the untold suffering the vast majority of Nigerians are going through.

Other members of the group were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Chief Ben Obi, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and former presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress, Prof. Pat Utomi. The group's spokesman, Prof. Utomi, while briefing journalists at the end of its deliberation, blamed all the troubles on the leadership crisis unleashed on the nation by the continued absence of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua from office and his refusal to hand over power to his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

His words: "The leadership expressed sadness at the state of our country, where there has been a leadership void, leadership void that has created a situation of deterioration both in economic life, the leadership void that has created a situation which the international community does not take quite as seriously as it should. These are certainly part of what we are not satisfied with, particularly the Nigerian people who suffered from poverty that should not exist."

NPL expressed fear over the 2011 general election, saying going by what is happening now, it is certain that nothing good could come from the polls. "At the top of our concern is that the current political limbo in our country puts in grave jeopardy, the election of 2011, we are convinced that the way things are we cannot possibly have credible free, and fair election," Utomi said.

The group called on all relevant institutions, particularly the National Assembly to do the needful by acting swiftly to save the situation. Utomi warned that if they failed to act swiftly and resolve the leadership debacle, the people of Nigeria would be forced to take their destiny in their hands by asserting their sovereignty. Earlier, Chief Falae condemned the massacre in parts of Plateau State and called for the prosecution and punishment of those behind the incident.

Culled from The Guardian.