Breaking: Uproar in Senate over Armed Forces Commission Bill

- There was a controversy at the Senate on Wednesday, March 17, over a bill

- Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is the sponsor of the bill that seeks to establish Armed Forces Service commission

- The bill was vehemently opposed by other APC senators

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A bill that seeks to create an Armed Forces commission has stirred controversy in the Senate and the lawmakers went into an executive session trying to resolve the issue.

Daily Trust reports that senators on Wednesday, March 17, were locked in a heated debate over a bill seeking to establish Armed Forces Service commission.

Legit.ng gathered that leading the debate, the sponsor of the bill, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the commission would ensure that the composition and appointment of the service chiefs of the armed forces reflect the federal character in a manner prescribed in section 217 (3) of the 1999 constitution.

The lawmakers, who backed the bill, argued that the bill stands on a very strong constitutional ground and also invited the Senate to exercise its constitutional rights.

But some lawmakers, who opposed the bill, said the establishment of the commission would politicise the armed forces, which, they argued, was dangerous for the peace and unity of the country.

After the debate, the bill was put to a voice vote by Senate president Ahmad Lawan.

Lawan banged the gavel saying, “The nays had it."

Abaribe, however, stood up and cited order 73, which says that any senator can challenge the ruling of the presiding officer as he called for voting on the bill.

Lawan interjected and said the ruling was not his personal opinion.

He said:

“It is not my opinion that the nays had it. I didn’t rule inappropriately.”

But Abaribe insisted that it is his right to call for voting on the bill, saying, “I’m only saying give me my right and my right is that all our members should get up and vote.”

Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta) at the point advised the Senate president to allow voting to take place.

The report said that after about seven minutes in limbo, the Senate went into a closed-door session.

When the Senate reconvened, Lawan asked Abaribe to withdraw the bill and he did, saying he would review it and present it at a more appropriate time.

Premium Times also reports that in his debate, Abaribe said the function and powers of the commission shall be to ensure that the composition or appointment of service chiefs of the Armed Forces reflects federal character of Nigeria in the manner prescribed in section 217 (3) of the 1999 Constitution.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Military Pensions Board (MPB) reacted to claims that there was massive looting of funds among some senior military officers.

It was reported that the MPB's spokesman, Olayinka Lawal, maintained that funds allocated for the pension of retirees are intact and that the board has no link with the names of officers listed in social media reports.

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Wale Akinola is a passionate journalist and researcher. He works as a senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He holds both B.A and Master’s degree in Communications and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a Diploma Certificate in Peace Journalism. He has over 15 years of work experience in both print and online media. He derives joy in keeping the public abreast of current happenings locally and internationally through his writings.

Source: Legit.ng

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