Posted by Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume has justified his Tuesday walkout from the Senate following a heated debate with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
During his speech in the session, Ndume alerted the legislators to what he saw as violations.
The senator from Borno South raised a point of order to bring “procedural infringements” to Akpabio’s attention.
After Akpabio cut off Ndume’s remarks, the senator rushed out of the chamber.
“when Senator Kawu Sumaila proposed a motion which he said was urgent on closing the border between Nigeria and Niger,” Ndume said in an interview with BBC Hausa.
He elaborated, saying, “Initially, it was argued that the motion was not urgent, but the President of the Senate allowed him continue what he was saying.
“After considering the motion, it was decided that it should be tabled until further notice because of security concerns.”
The motion is significant, but it is not within the purview of the Nigerian Senate,” Ndume continued.
It was during his time as President of ECOWAS, and not as President of Nigeria, that the border was closed. Because of this, he is qualified to speak up for us.
I was unable to relay the message that the President of the United States needs to be involved in resolving this issue.
It was around prayer time, so I had to leave while this was going on. My exit was misinterpreted by my coworkers, and its significance was altered by the media.