The Northern Senators Forum (NSF) yesterday sacked Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa) as its chairman and replaced him with Senator Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto)

The change of the forum’s leader was contained in a letter read by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu during plenary session.

The letter signed by NSF spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi) said Adamu’s removal was as a result of “Financial mismanagement and misadministration. We announce his replacement with Senator Aliyu Wamakko immediately.”

But Adamu told CEOAFRICA source  last night that he was removed because of his ‘hard stand’ on some issues, including the reordering of sequence of elections and his attack of ex- president Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said the northern senators do not even have the kind of money he was alleged to have misappropriated.

“There was no sitting at all (to discuss his removal); I was at the Senate but left to attend to a manager from one of the banks and while I was with him, some colleagues came in to say some handful of senators, Dino (Melaye) went with some papers to see the presiding officer, Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President that some Northern senators have signed that they would remove me as chairman of the Northern Senators Forum.

“I was not elected that way; this is just like throwing something at me because of what I said on Wednesday on amendment to the Electoral Act.

“They just want to smear me and they are trying to justify it. They can’t use my contribution on the electoral bill because they would be scolded by the public. They don’t want to use my position on Obasanjo, so they bring the issue of money. I would not be deterred, I would continue with my work as a senator,” he said.

Monkeys stole forum’s N70m – Senator Sani

Briefing newsmen after the sitting, Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna) said the forum’s N70 million was swallowed by monkeys at a farm belonging to an executive member of the forum. 

“Senator Abdullahi Adamu is a distinguished senator and an elder statesman. There are some things that some of my colleagues cannot say but I’m not used to holding back what is the truth.

“When we resumed as senators, Senator Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe) handed over the sum of N70m to the forum that the money was from forum’s members in the 7th Senate.

“The rumours going round whether it is true but I believe most of the senators know is the fact, there were allegations that some monkeys raided the farm house of some of the executives in northern senators forum and carted away some of these monies.

“I think this country is becoming a huge joke, first of all it was the rodent that drove away the president and we now have snakes consuming about N36 million, and now you have monkeys,” he said.

Omo-Agege apologizes over comment on Buhari

Earlier on the floor, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta) apologised to his colleagues over a statement that the reordering of election sequence was targeted at President Mohammadu Buhari.

Omo- Agege is being probed by the Ethics Committee over the comment following a point of order by Senator Melaye on Tuesday.