From: FRED ITUA, Abuja
Suspended former Senate Leader and senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, is expected to officially resume at the Upper chamber next week, Daily Sun has gathered.
Ahead of his resumption, supporters from his constituency, on Monday, demonstrated solidarity for the lawmaker by organising a rally which held at the Unity Fountain, Abuja.
The group led by the coordinator, Ndume Support Initiative, Ibrahim Muazzamu, said the group was in Abuja in show of solidarity to Ndume who was suspended from the Senate, last March.
Muazzamu, while speaking to newsmen, said the group was in the nation’s capital to “initiate a programme that will mark the ‘countdown’ to the resumption of Distinguished Senator from his unjustified suspension.”
He said the constituents had not heard of any instance whereby it was said in any quarters that Ndume would not resume after the expiration of his suspension.
“We are carrying out the rally to voluntarily stage our support for him. This is a show of our love and passion for his efforts toward Southern Borno and indeed Nigeria. We also recognise his effort in the fight against corruption which is in line with the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
While answering questions from newsmen, Muazzamu said the constituents were confident that Ndume would resume office in spite of any unforeseen circumstance.
“The resumption has been fixed and we believe nothing will change that. We missed a lot of his representation during his period his suspension,” he said.
The lawmaker was suspended by the upper chamber on March 27, 2017, sequel to the adoption of the recommendations of its Committee on Ethic, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, led by Samuel Anyanwu, recommended that Ndume be suspended following his point of Order he raised that the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki was on a vengeance mission against the Comptroller- General of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Col.Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd).
The Borno lawmaker in his point of Order called for investigation into the allegation by the Customs Service alleging that the Senate President refused to pay duty of N74m for a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) valued at N298m imported into the country by Saraki.
Ndume also called on the upper chamber to investigate another allegation of certificate forgery leveled against another lawmaker, Dino Melaye.
But the Ethics committee, which investigated both allegations, however, cleared Senate President Saraki of allegations against him, and Sen. Melaye of Certificate forgery.