There was confusion in the Senate on Wednesday as some members
engaged one another in a shouting match.
At a point, one of them, Senator Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central),
threw a punch at another lawmaker, Senator Paulinus Igwe (Ebonyi Central).
Although it was believed that the cause of the uproar was the State of the
Nation Address Bill which was presented by Senate Leader, Victor
Ndoma-Egba, for reconsideration, the Senate leadership blamed it
on a request by another Senator, Bashir Lado (Kano Central), to be
allowed to introduce a motion.
The bill, which hitherto was passed by the National Assembly on
May 16, 2013, was returned by President Goodluck Jonathan,
who proposed some amendments to it (the bill).
But Senators were divided on whether to override the President’s veto
on the bill or consider his proposed amendments to it.
Some argued that the President had no power under the 1999
Constitution to propose amendments to a bill passed by the National Assembly.
Others, however, argued that he could. They relied on Section 88 of the
Senate Standing Orders allowing the President to send observations back to
the National Assembly where he had misgivings on any bill already passed.
The plenary initially went on smoothly with intermittent muffled voices, but
confusion began when Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, raised
a point of order for a motion for an adjournment of the debate on the matter.
Ekweremadu relied on Order 70(1a) of the Senate Rules, which reads, “The
following matters not open to debate, shall be moved without argument or
opinion offered, and shall be forthwith put from the Chair without amendment:
motion for adjournment of debate.”
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