Senators clash during plenary
A heated disagreement broke out during a closed-door session of the Senate on Tuesday after Senator Kawu Sumaila, who represents Kano South, challenged the Senate leadership over federal borrowing, abandoned projects and alleged political arrangements.
The tension began when Sumaila raised concerns about the condition of projects across different parts of the country.
He questioned why many contractors had stopped work and left project sites despite the National Assembly approving large loan requests for President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to Sahara Reporters, the senator argued that the lack of funding for ongoing projects could create serious political problems for lawmakers and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
He maintained that many projects had stalled because contractors were yet to receive payment even after the approval of several loans.
Sumaila also reportedly warned that the economic challenges facing citizens could make it difficult for many senators, particularly those in the APC, to defend their records and seek another term in office.
His comments were said to have angered Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who responded by bringing up what they described as arrangements made before the senator recently joined the APC.
Sources familiar with the meeting told the publication that Senate leadership disclosed that President Tinubu had approved a N90 billion ecological contract in Kano linked to Sumaila.
They also claimed that after the death of former Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, the Presidency directed Senate leaders to hand over the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream to the Kano lawmaker.
The Senate leadership reportedly viewed Sumaila’s criticism as an act of disloyalty after the support he had received.
However, the senator rejected the allegations and insisted that he would not be intimidated for speaking on issues affecting lawmakers and their constituents.
He was said to have told fellow senators that neither the Senate President nor the Senate Leader could pressure him into silence.
Sumaila reportedly declared that they could keep both the committee chairmanship and the ecological contract if those benefits were being used as a reason to stop him from expressing concerns.
He maintained that he was speaking on behalf of many senators who shared similar worries about the state of projects and the country’s economic situation.
