The Senate standing rules change has been characterized by Bauchi Central senator Abdul Ningi as self-serving and motivated by personal interests.
Only senators who have been in the body for at least eight years are eligible to run for Senate President and Deputy Senate President under the change.
According to Naija News, Ningi voiced his disapproval to reporters following the plenary on Thursday.
Since its introduction in the chamber on Tuesday, the proposal has sparked debate.
Prior to the amendment, any ranking senator may run for president. A senator who has served in the National Assembly for at least four years was considered a ranking senator.
According to Ningi, the most recent modification seemed to target specific Senate goals.
“This is self-serving and self-centered from those who moved it and those who opposed it,” he declared. When we stepped up on this floor to voice our concerns about the Electoral Act as it was presented to the Senate, you were a living witness. After serving on the committee on electoral matters for nearly two years, we voiced grave concerns regarding a number of the Electoral Act’s provisions.
“People remained silent in the name of party dominance. Now, while some people believe they are ambitious…This specific issue is about the Senate and aspirants, not Nigeria.
Ningi criticizes the selection of first-term senators.
The Bauchi senator also noted that when committee chairpersons and principal officers were appointed in 2023, ranking was not properly enforced.
He claimed that despite their inexperience in the chamber, certain senators serving their first terms were assigned significant responsibilities.
“This specific ranking was thrown under the box when we came here in 2023,” Ningi stated. Both a senator and the principal officials who are visiting the Senate for the first time are visible.
“New senators were assigned to the largest committee. How have those senators done as committee chairman after three and a half years? Sometimes they are unable to even preside when they arrive.
Legislators frequently only voice complaints when choices impact their interests, according to Ningi. He said that certain committees had only been active when the budget was being considered.
“People make noise when it touches them,” he remarked. There are committees that have been in place for three and a half years, but their chairman have only scheduled one meeting—for budgetary purposes.
“As a result, the entire situation has been perceived as personalized, and until we are prepared to eradicate this threat, we will continue to see it because many laws are passed that are tailored to specific groups, tailored to specific party advantages, and tailored to specific individuals.”
