By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
There was mild drama on the Senate floor yesterday when the Red Chamber rejected a motion to immortalise the late Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu was the Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission (NEC) that conducted the June 12, 1993, election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola but annulled by the military junta led by Gen Ibrahim Babangida.
The Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe, had raised a point of order to bring a motion on the late Nwosu and the June 12, 2023 presidential election.
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, asked whether Abaribe should proceed with the motion, and the senators voted against it.
Abaribe’s attempt to raise another point of order to present the motion again was rebuffed by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who said it was wrong to bring up an issue that had been ruled upon.
The Deputy Senate President upheld the point of order raised by the Senate Leader, which angered Abaribe.
A former Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, warned the presiding officer against being dictatorial in his approach to issues.
Abdullahi said, “This kind of thing can aim to deny members an opportunity to raise points of order and express personal opinions.
“We are trying to send a bad precedent if your decision is upheld. Personal matters will no longer be raised under order 10 and we thereby truncate senators’ independence.
“This is because we will not allow them to interject in the Senate to raise issues that are very essential and fundamental to them and their constituencies.
“Therefore, with all due respect, the position that our distinguished leader advocates is not correct.”
Barau then ruled that Senator Abaribe could bring up the matter through a proper motion by liaising with the Committee on Rules and Business on the next legislative day.
However, Abaribe disagreed with the ruling of the Deputy Senator President and insisted that senators are allowed to raise points of order at any time during plenary.
He said, “The Senate shall by resolution regulate its procedure. So even if the Senate leader says that it is not followed by the fact that a senator wants to make a personal explanation, you must give that Senator a chance to make that personal explanation.
“We are not under a dictatorship, Mr. President. It’s at your discretion, Mr. President, because if at your discretion you say we can’t talk, so be it.”
Barau told Abaribe that he should have discussed this with him before bringing up a controversial issue.
But Abaribe said, “Mr. President, I don’t know what is controversial about immortalising Humphrey Nwosu and June 12. What is controversial there?”
In his motion, the Senator proposed renaming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the late Nwosu, among other prayers.
