Politics David Mark Blocks Defection of Saraki, Others from PDP to APC

L

LequteMan

Guest
Senate President, David Mark, on Tuesday, blocked the planned defection of 11 senators elected on the platform of PDP to APC.

The senators had moved into a closed session immediately after they converged for the day’s business to discuss the same issue.

But after the resumption of sitting, Senator Bukola Saraki moved a point of order, raising Order 15 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2011 as amended, which deals with privileges of senators.

He declared that he and 10 other senators had defected to the APC

Mark immediately ruled him out of order, saying that the issue could not be a matter of Saraki’s privilege.

“That cannot be your privilege. The matter is in court and we can’t make reference to it. So, whose privilege has been breached? I shall have no further discussion on it. Therefore, I rule you out of order,” he said.

Reports say Mark had told those who planned to defect that the matter was in court and that the implication was that order 53(5) of the Senate standing orders forbade discussion of the issue.

He was also said to have told the senators who told him that they were under pressure from APC that he was also under pressure from PDP and that he would have no option but to succumb to the pressure from PDP if the senators insisted on flouting Order 53.

The Senate President according to Nigerian Tribune also practically told the senators that if they carried out their planned defection, he would have no other option but to declare their seats vacant.
 

Attachments

  • refused.jpg
    refused.jpg
    2.4 KB · Views: 14
Back
Top