Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, has revealed that he stormed out of the chamber on Tuesday after an encounter with the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Senator invoked a point of order to call the attention of the Senate President to “procedural infringements” in the chamber. However Akpabio did not allow Ndume to complete his speech and the senator walked out of the chamber afterwards.
During an interview with BBC Hausa, Ndume said his reason for leaving when the debate on a matter related to the closing of Nigeria’s borders was being debated.
Ndume said that he wanted to clarify that the motion, although impactful, falls outside the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Senate, and that the closure of the border was initiated by the President of Nigeria during his tenure as President of ECOWAS.
“At first, it was argued that the motion was not urgent, but the president of the Senate let him finish what he wanted to say.
“After hearing the motion, it was agreed that since it is related to security, it should be suspended.”
“I would like to clarify that the motion, although impactful, falls outside the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Senate.
“While this was happening, it coincided with the time of prayer, prompting my departure. Consequently, my colleagues misconstrued my exit, and the journalists changed the meaning of my exit,” Ndume said.
