“Senate President Bukola Saraki, Dino Melaye Behind My Removal Because I Insisted On Due Process In Rejection Of Magu” Ousted Majority Leader Ali Ndume Alleges

Emerging details have it ousted Senate Majority leader, Ali Ndume has fingered Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye as behind his removal from office.

He specifically stated in a recent chat ‘’ “The other day, somebody mentioned to me that the Senate President had commissioned Dino Melaye to collect signatures to remove me. I didn’t pay much attention to the information because I actually thought it was a joke or a rumour. ’

Ndume made the disclosure to news platform, Premiumtimes.

He claimed his ordeal has root in insistence the Senate follow due process in the rejection of acting Economic And Financial Crimes Commission boss, Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as substantive head of the anti graft agency.

Ndume whose removal from office was read by Senate President Bukola Saraki after he stepped out of the Senate Chamber to observe his early after prayer told the online platform ‘’ “What I said was that for us (Senate) to claim to have a rejected a nominee sent to us by the president, we have to follow the right procedure, and observe our rules,” the senator said.

“The nominee should have been called into the chamber and presented before senators who will then openly vote on whether to accept or reject his or her nomination.

“In the case of Magu, that was not done. We only had a closed-door session and when we emerged the Senate spokesperson claimed that he had been rejected. I had to set the record straight by saying we never rejected the nominee. This is because you don’t accept or reject a nominee at a closed session.

Öur votes and proceedings are there as evidence of my claims.”

He further added ‘’ “Ï was surprised that such a simple and harmless clarification could rattle and anger some of my colleagues,” he said. I thought it wasn’t a big deal to disagree over issues. I didn’t realise that that simple matter would snowball into a plot to remove me ’’

A replacement for Ndume as Majority leader has been announced.

He is Senator Ahmed Lawan, ironically initially penned down for the same position after he lost out in struggle to become Senate President to Senator Bukola Saraki.