The North-East Chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), faulted Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, for alleging that Senator Abdul Ningi is propagating an impeachment agenda against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, despite the Northern Senators Forum not being in support of it.
Senator Bamidele sparked controversy by suggesting a northern plot to stage what he termed a “civilian coup” and questioning the reliability of northern senators, particularly in relation to the presidency of the Senate.
The group, in a statement signed by it’s Zonal Coordinator, Isah Abubakar Waziri, the CNG condemned what they perceived as Senator Bamidele’s attempt to profile northern senators and by extension, the northern populace.
His comment was in reaction to an allegation by Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi of budget padding to the tune of N3.7 trillion.
They emphasized the significant role played by northern lawmakers in the political landscape, including facilitating the emergence of key figures like the Senate President.
The statement read in part: “This is an extraordinary abuse of parliamentary privilege by a senator who proclaimed to be a lawyer. Such weighty allegations are not only dangerous to the peace and security of Nigeria but also reveal Bamidele’s penchant for hatred for the North and complete disdain for democratic transparency and accountability.
“The NE Chapter of CNG, therefore, strongly condemns Senator Bamidele’s jingoistic and abhorrent utterances that are capable of plummeting the remnant of the battered reputation of the Red Chamber.”
He added, “We observed with rather a shock, that a ranking senator, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, stooped so low to profiling northern senators and by implication, the northern people for planning to stage what he described as ‘a civilian coup’. Senator Bamidele descended further to portray northerners as unreliable who are hell-bent on removing Godswill Akpabio as the President of the 10th Senate.
“It is imperative to educate Bamidele that the North he is insulting gave the highest and most decisive number of votes to the incumbent President Bola Tinubu just as the northern senators who constitute the majority facilitated the emergence of Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, it is important to unravel this dangerous rhetoric woven around our differences by a senator through provoking sectional sentimental calculation over and above the priority of collective and cohesive struggle to enshrine accountability and transparency in the Senate.
“Let it be vivid to Bamidele that the Northern lawmakers always make robust legislative engagements irrespective of who is superintending the National Assembly which is why for example Abdulmumini Jibrin challenged Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Sen. Ali Ndume confronted Sen. Bukola Saraki with allegations, yet, it was only the issues that were dissected and debated.
“It is necessary to deploy every plausible means to disabuse the ilk of Bamidele from such narrow political conjecture that can only gain currency in a situation that stifles democratic etiquette.”