By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said yesterday that despite interventions in some quarters, he does not have the power to reverse the suspension of the former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Saraki also denied reports that he was behind Ndume’s suspension.
Saraki told journalists that he did not have the kind of powers that were being arrogated to him, saying that the position of President of Senate was first among equals.
“We should try and understand how the parliament works. I wish I had such powers these powers you give me. I wish I had them. The President of the Senate or the Speaker is first among equals. They are just presiding officers, but unfortunately you know the legislative arm of government people don’t understand. People give us these powers that we don’t have.
“Decisions that are taken in plenary are decisions of all, but I have a role to be able to convey the message. I will convey the message of the Governor of Borno state who came to see me at the Senate. The Senate is one, we are all one family there will be issues like that, there is nothing that is sacrosanct or rigid,” he said.
The Senate President also told journalists that the relationship between legislature and executive was cordial contrary to the notion that it was frosty.
“It is cordial, you cannot examine it based on NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) or based on EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), we have other issues. We have ministerials issues that we are going to be working on.
The Senate President refused to comment on the stepping down of the confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) nominees for two weeks in protest against refusal by the President to sack acting chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, who was rejected twice by the Senate.
He said: “Good development, but like I said, there will always be issues on one or two things. It doesn’t mean that is the foundation of it. When you have an arm of government that has to do with confirmation, there will always be, for example in the NDDC bill we rejected three people from NDDC.
