APC's Query to Saraki Inconsequential, Overtaken By Events, Says Senator Ibrahim

A member of the National Assembly, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, has chastised the All Progressives Congress (APC) for querying the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, several hours after he left the party.

Ibrahim, who represents Kwara South at the Senate, said in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday that Saraki should disregard the query that had become stale and overtaken by events.

Describing the APC query as an afterthought and academic exercise, the senator, who was one of the 14 APC senators who defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the floor of the Senate last Tuesday, said the Senate president had long before the query was issued told the world about his defection from the party to PDP.

According to Ibrahim who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, "It is pertinent to state that the issues raised in the query were in conflict with and complete violation of our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association."

  He opined that all the senators who have defected from APC did so on their own free will, adding that as mature men and women, "we took the decision to leave the APC by ourselves because we felt that the party no longer represents the ideals that we once fought for.

"The senators are political leaders in their own rights and they represent their different senatorial districts. So, it is preposterous for the APC leadership to be writing that Saraki should be held responsible for the decision of my colleagues concerning their political careers."

Ibrahim added that the Senate president had no hand in the spate of defections in the Senate in recent times, asking: "Is it Saraki that caused the antagonism between Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, which led the senator to defect? Is it Saraki that caused the problem between Kogi State Governor and Senator Dino Melaye when the party appeared helpless in calling the governor to order as he moves to annihilate Melaye who contributed so much to his election? Is it Saraki that compelled a man of Senator Abdullahi Danbaba standing to defect?

"Is it Saraki who forced Senator Monsurat Sunmonu from Oyo State to defect? Can Saraki be blamed for Senator Abdulazeez  Nyako's defection after the senator had complained about the lack of equity and inclusiveness in the APC in Adamawa State? One can give so many examples to demonstrate how the non-committal leadership of the APC looked on, without taking action to stop the sorry state of affairs that made the gale of defections inevitable.”

Also commenting on allegations on the conduct of proceedings in the National Assembly in general and the Senate in particular, Senator Ibrahim emphasised that the Senate is a body of equal members and the Senate president is only a primus inter pares, first among equals, "and the Senate president cannot impose any decision on the entire body.

"All decisions are that of the Senate and not just one man. It is for that reason that all motions and resolutions in the Assembly are taken through a voice vote and the majority always carries the day, including our decision to halt the screening of presidential nominees whose positions are not clearly slated for confirmation by the Senate in the constitution.”