Threat to impeach Buhari, other key events in Nigeria’s Senate in 2022

With the Ninth Assembly ending legislative activity for the session, the Senate experienced fewer controversial episodes in 2022 compared to previous years.

For most of the past year, the attention of senators was divided and mostly focused on party activities like primaries and national conventions. And for lawmakers seeking re-election, it’s another reason to pause legislative activity.

While some senators won tickets to return to the Senate, many lost their bids. Several other senators decamped to other parties to secure their ambitions as well.

Despite the near-quiet legislative year that has feared a high turnover in the tenth assembly, members of parliament can make key legislative resolutions and pass major bills as well as make major interventions in some issues.

They also open and confront Ministers, Departments, Agencies, and federal officials on a number of issues.

The activity, however, did not contain any controversial scenes where MPs looked at each other or stormed out of the room in anger, etc.

In this report, PREMIUM TIMES reviews some of the major events in the Nigerian Senate in 2022.

1. Threat of impeachment

The threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari may be the most unexpected event in the National Assembly in July 2022.

Some senators from the opposition party walked out of the plenary after Senate President Ahmad Lawan refused to allow the Senate to discuss insecurity. It was preceded by an executive session that lasted for more than two hours and apparently, the lawmakers have decided to discuss the issue of insecurity.

The incident comes at a time when security threats across the country, especially in the federal capital, are high. This also happened about two weeks after bandits attacked the Kuje Correctional Facility, killing more than 400 inmates.

But when Mr. Lawan refused to let the lawmakers discuss the issue, he angrily left the chamber chanting “Buhari must go.”

Led by the Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, the same disclosed whether the negotiations behind closed doors and give the president six weeks to address any concerns or risks he may face.

Some APC senators like Elisha Abbo and Adamu Bulkachuwa joined the protest.

What followed, however, was the annual recess of parliamentarians that lasted for eight weeks and there was no mention of insecurity or the threat of impeachment when it resumed.

2. Buhari’s N23.7 trillion expenditure

The president’s request for the Senate to approve the N23.7 trillion that the federal government has committed is the latest episode to divide lawmakers in 2022.

The President, in a letter, said the money was borrowed from the Central Bank of Nigeria for 10 years and urged lawmakers to approve a repayment plan.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the senators disagreed when considering the president’s request last wednesday. The chamber became rowdy when some lawmakers kicked the demand as unconstitutional.

The altercation that lasted for several minutes saw the senators arguing. While some MPs demanded details of the expenditure, others wondered why the amount was taken without notice and approval by the National Assembly.

The disagreement was forced on members of parliament to postpone consideration of the president’s request until January 17 to allow for proper inspection.

However, when the president signed the 2023 budget, he asked the senators to reconsider their decision and failure to approve the amount could cost the government more than N1 trillion.

Lawmakers are expected to reconsider the president’s request on January 17.

3. Amendment of the constitution

Lawmakers began steps to amend the 1999 Constitution in February last year. It will be the fifth change to the law.

After the two-chamber legislature approved a The report proposed 68 amendments for the Constitution, same elect them electronically.

Some of the amendments proposed for voting include canceling the joint account of state and local governments, financial autonomy for the state assembly and the judiciary, legislative summons, life pension for the presiding officer of the National Assembly, virtual judicial process, Diaspora vote and extra seats for women. in parliament.

Others are independent candidacy, the mayor for Abuja, the power of parliament to summon the president and the governor, immunity for the presiding officer of the legislature, time to appoint ministers and commissioners, expanding the scope of citizenship by registration, separation of the office of lawyer. general from the minister of justice and move the VAT to the exclusive legislative list.

However, out of 66 proposed amendments, only 44 pass in the room.

The Constitutional Review has suffered a setback after the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, announced that 25 countries refused to consider and vote on the amendment. The states, he said, threatened not to act on the bill unless four constitutional amendment bills were considered and passed by the National Assembly.

The bill – to establish the State Police, to establish the State Judicial Council, to speed up the procedure for removing the Chairman of the State Assembly and to implement the Legislative Bureaucracy in the Constitution.

4. Reject the Gender bill

Of the 24 bills rejected during the election process, five were gender bills. The bill was rejected despite the presence of the wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo, who was there to appeal to the lawmakers.

The senators voted against affirmative action for women in the administration of political parties and bills to create special seats for women in the national and state assemblies.

Bill for special seats for women in parliament, sponsored by Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia), seeks to amend sections 48, 49, 71,77,91, and 117 of the 1999 constitution by creating one senatorial seat and two federal constituencies in each state and FCT for women. It also seeks to amend article 91 of the 1999 Constitution by creating an additional 108 seats in the state council for women.

Also rejected was a bill for affirmative action that sought at least 35 percent of positions for women in political parties, a bill to grant citizenship to husbands born abroad of Nigerian women and include at least ten percent of affirmative action for women in ministerial appointments.

The rejection of the bill led to massive protests from many women’s groups across the country. But there was no amendment.

5. Defections

So it was a year before the election and many senators were looking for a return ticket, some defecting to other parties.

The ruling APC lost the most members who are also ranking members in the chamber. Top MPs like former Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya and Adamu Aliero left for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. The duo, from Kebbi State, accused the state governor of thwarting the efforts of party members in the state.

Another key defector is Babba Kaita, who represents Mr. Buhari’s senatorial district. He dumped APC for PDP. Senators Francis Alimekhena (Edo North) and Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi South) also left APC for PDP and New Nigeria Peoples Party.

Another ranking senator and former Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, left the PDP for the All Progressives Grand Alliance – expressing disapproval of his state governor.

Another event worth noting is impending high turnover rate after the February election. In 2022, many senators rejected the high turnover rate especially after many senators lost their tickets to return to the assembly for the tenth time.