Pro-Ndume’s protesters storm National Assembly

Hundreds of protesters Tuesday barricaded the main entrance to the National Assembly, demanding the immediate reinstatement of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC-Borno South) by the Senate.

The protesters arrived the National Assembly gate with placards accusing the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Senate of bias in the way they carried out their investigation.

Many of the protesters who carried placards with pro-Ndume messages said they were natives of southern Borno, but mostly live in Mararaba and Masaka areas of Nasarawa.

Ndume was suspended following the adoption of a recommendation made in a report the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges. The report was submitted on Wednesday during plenary.

The suspended senator had on March 21 called on the Senate to investigate Saraki over an allegation that an impounded sports utility vehicle imported into the country with fake documents belonged to him and Melaye over the allegation that his degree certificate was fake.

While presenting his case then, Ndume drew attention to a publication by an online medium, Sahara Reporters, that the impounded armoured Range Rover SUV which is said to worth N298m and that the insistence of the Senate that the Customs boss Hameed Ali appear before it in uniform is connected to his refusal to release the vehicle which was seized on January 17.

“The newspaper said the Senate is on vengeance after Nigeria Customs seized Senator Saraki’s bulletproof Range Rover over fake documents,” Ndume noted.

The Senate dismissed both allegations and sanctioned Ndume by suspending him for six months. However, there have been moves by Borno politicians to get the former senate leader reinstated.