Abaribe withdraws controversial Armed Forces Commission Bill

A bill seeking the establishment of  an Armed Forces Service Commission on Wednesday caused a rumpus in the Senate that forced its sponsor, Eyinnaya Abaribe, to step it down.

The proposal titled “A bill for an Act to give effect to Section 219 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the establishment of the Armed Forces Service Commission and for other related matters, 2021” had recently passed first reading.

Shortly after the debate for the second reading commenced on Wednesday, a battle of wits between the opposition Peoples Democratic Party senators and  their majority All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts ensued.

While supporters of the bill argued that it was merely to give effect to a constitutional provision for  the National Assembly to create the Armed Forces Service Commission, APC Senators said the proposal was meant to whittling down the powers of the President.

APC Senators like Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Abdullahi Adamu, Adamu Aliero and Mohammed Bulkachuwa kicked against  the bill, while their  PDP counterparts  like Emmanuel Bwacha, Chukwuka Utazi and James Manager supported it.

The disagreement  arose when Senate President Ahmad Lawan put the bill to a voice vote and ruled that the “nays” had the day, meaning that the proposal cannot be read a second time.

Abaribe and others in support of the bill however  kicked against   the ruling and called for a division of the Senate to allow for transparent voting.

But his suggestion was interpreted by many APC senators  as challenging the Senate President’s ruling on the matter.

The development led to a near commotion before the Senate President announced that the chamber will go into an emergency closed-door session.

After the session which lasted  about 25 minutes, Lawan said the Senate had “appealed” to Abaribe to withdraw his motion to invoke Order 73 of the Senate Standing Rules which would have made Senators to take a stand whether in support or against the bill in the open.

He however said there was still an opportunity for Abaribe, who is the Senate Minority Leader, to represent the bill after due consultations with his colleagues.

Lawan said: “Before we went into a closed session, the Minority Leader raised a point of order (Order 73) and there were interventions from our colleagues on the need for the order to be withdrawn. That was why I didn’t make any ruling on the order raised by the Minority Leader.

“Having gone into the closed session we have reviewed various things – national interest- and the need for this Senate to continue working in a very bi-partisan manner regardless of our ethnic or regional dispositions.

“We have appealed to the Minority Leader to withdraw the Standing Order 73 and of course the Minority Leader or indeed any distinguished senator here will have the opportunity to look into that Bill again in the future.