2023: Senators Lament High Rate of Turnover in National Assembly

 Deji Elumoye and Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

The Senate yesterday held a special valedictory session in honour of the newly elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu,; his Deputy, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Mohammed Hassan.

The session commenced with a presentation from the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), who described the APC national chairman as experience and competent person for the job.

Lawmakers took turns to extol qualities of the three senators.

Senators Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) and James Manager (PDP, Delta South), however, made a case for some senators to enjoy automatic tickets in order to avoid brain drain in the country’s apex legislative institution.

Ndume said: “Now that we have people from here as leaders of the party, you have the responsibility. It is not about us, it is about the Senate.

“It is not about Ndume being a senator from Borno South but protecting the position of the Senate or the representation from the Borno South having someone that served for two, three or four terms.

“You know that the rate of turnover is very worrisome. It is not because the legislators are not performing, we need you the chairman to protect the institution and this institution is made up of individuals with wealth of experience. Nigerians are expecting a lot from the institution.”

Manager also appealed to Adamu and Kyari to protect the Senate as an institution by making sure that highly experienced lawmakers are returned in 2023.

He said: “The first test for you will be to protect those who are here, not me, because we are not in the same political party.

“Everyone is in danger in one way or another. Yesterday (Tuesday), this place was very scanty because everyone was in danger.

“So, I will urge you, particularly the national chairman of APC, as you go there, please protect those who are in danger.

“You know how it is done. Those of us on this side will be watching with keen interest. We know who you are; we know what you can do. Try your best for all of us.”

While responding, Adamu agreed with the submissions of Ndume and Manager, and said some highly experienced lawmakers actually deserved to return to the red chamber in 2023.

The APC chairman assured them that the newly elected lawmakers in the APC would protect the integrity of the National Assembly within the confines of the party and its processes.

He said: “Some of you are the best materials that this country can have but you are in the wrong camp.

“I was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998, and I took the flag of PDP to Nasarawa State.

“I served as a governor on the platform of PDP, and I served as secretary to the Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP.

“They said it as if to remind me as a person who put in abundant service, but nobody has asked me why I broke the bond between me and PDP.

“It is in my heart of hearts those of you who are willing to reach out to the higher pedestal of life, our hands are opened and we are stretching the hands to you.

“I assure you to come over, as we are very human and very fair. We play according to the rules of the game.

“So I assure you that I will continue to cherish our relationship. I hope and pray that you will see the light and come over to the APC. I remain eternally grateful.

“I have made friends here; we have faced the most challenging moments in this chamber, and as such, sometimes we do certain things.”

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe commended the APC for making the choice of their chairman-someone who the PDP had groomed and also the Secretary of the BoT of the PDP.

He said: “We are happy that he came here as a PDP senator, and now taking over the APC to do the great job that Nigeria has thrust on his shoulders.

“As a bridge builder, we are very happy that you have also gone to show them how democracy works. We also want to thank our dear colleague, the deputy national chairman (North) of the APC.

“You have not finished your work here, but we are going to donate you to still go and do your job there.

A cross section of senators, who spoke during the valedictory session, urged Senators Adamu and Kyari to strive and lead the APC to victory in 2023.

Also Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) commended Adamu for laying the foundation of Nasarawa State and strides in developing the education sector in the state.

He noted that as the first chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Senator Adamu, was able to ensure harmony among members irrespective of diverse political persuasion.

Aliero noted that the new national chairman contributed to the growth of agriculture in Nigeria as chairman of the Farmer’s Association of Nigeria and chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

A frontline aspirant for the National Chairmanship position APC, Senator Sani Musa (Niger East), said the emergence of Adamu as APC national chairman was the best decision made by the APC.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his contribution, said the emergence of four members (serving and former) of the National Assembly as party executives of the APC was a remarkable development in the political evolution and history of Nigeria.

He said: “The National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman (North), National Secretary, and National Auditor are those who are either completing their service in the Senate or were here before.

“What this goes to show is that the legislature is coming of age, and that the legislature is now contributing to the political development and stability of our country, so we shouldn’t take this for granted.