The Nigerian Senate Wednesday ganged up against the Senator representing Borno South, Senator Ali Ndume and slammed on him a six months suspension for not carrying out what the senate described as “due diligence” before filing a petition against the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and controversial lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye.
The suspension which takes immediate effect, shortly after the recommendations in the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions was considered by the red chamber.
HardReporters could recalled that on March 21, 2017, the red chamber had decided to investigate the allegation that a bulletproof Range Rover SUV said to worth about N298m, belonging to the senate President, confiscated by the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS) following a point of order raised by Ndume, who also called on the upper legislature to investigate the certificate scandal involving Melaye.
Presenting its report of investigation on Wednesday, the committee recommended 181 legislative days suspension for Ndume for “deliberately” bringing up an issue that painted the Senate in a bad light but was however reduced to six months.
The committee cleared Saraki of the allegation of taking vengeance on the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Hameed Ali, for seizing a vehicle purportedly owned by the senate president and exonerated Melaye of the allegation of certificate forgery.
