Senate President: Pro-Democracy Group Accuses Lawan, Omo- Agege Of Plans To Install Newbie

Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD), a pro-de­mocracy initiative, has ac­cused some principal officers of the Senate of plotting to al­ter the Standing Orders and Rules of the Upper Chamber on ranking to install a ‘new­bie’ Senator-elect as Senate President.

The group specifically ac­cused the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Dep­uty Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, of mastermind­ing the plot.

National convener of the group, Aliyu Abdullahi, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, warned that the move will backfire as it was unconstitutional and alien to best democratic practices.

The statement reads in part, “We want to inform dis­tinguished Senators-elect and indeed all Nigerians that we have uncovered an unholy, se­cret and insidious plot by the outgoing Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and his depu­ty, Ovie Omo-Agege, to amend the Senate Orders and Rules, which provide that only rank­ing senators shall be elected as presiding officers.

“We have reliable informa­tion that the duo (Lawan and Omo-Agege) are working in cahoots to impose a puppet on the 10th Senate as Senate President. It is unthinkable that the Senate President and his Deputy would want to indulge in such an act just to spite a particular senator who has an overwhelming capacity and whose pedi­gree the President-elect is comfortable and willing to work with.

“We want to state categor­ically that this move cannot stand because it is a clear violation of Section 311 of the 1999 (as amended, Fifth Alteration, No. 8), which has provided that only the stand­ing orders and rules of a sub­sisting Assembly shall be used in the election of principal of­ficers at the state and National Assembly.

“Recall that the Constitu­tion of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alter­ation) (No.8) Act, 2023 alters Sections 54, 96 and 311 of the Constitution to stipulate a quorum of at least two-thirds of members-elect for inauguration or first sitting of the Senate, House of Rep­resentatives and State Hous­es of Assembly, respectively and also mandates the use of existing Standing Orders of each Legislative House at the inauguration.

“As defenders of the Con­stitution, we have already taken steps to seek judicial intervention by filing an originating suit at a Federal High Court. We are waiting for a date for the commence of proceeding.”