‘Debates Belong in Chambers, Not Media’ – Sani Chides Lawmakers Over Voice Voting
A former senator from Kaduna Central Senatorial District has criticized lawmakers for taking to the media to protest the use of voice voting to confirm a State of Emergency in Rivers State.
Shehu Sani stated that any legislator who intended to voice such an objection should have done so in the National Assembly chambers rather than through the media.
Recall that members of the National Assembly voted on President Bola Tinubu’s imposition of a State of Emergency in Rivers.
However, rather than following the law by conducting a head count to determine if the Assembly had created a quorum, the leadership of both chambers used voice voting.
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Ireti Kingibe, a serving lawmaker, lambasted the voting process, which was also criticized by Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and the Peoples Democratic Party.
In response, Sani stated that any objections should be raised within the chambers, not outside or in the media.
On X, he stated that if a politician has concerns about voice votes or quorum, they should raise a point of order on the floor and demand to be heard, rather than remaining mute and raising protests through the media.
“If there is no quorum, it’s because some lawmakers deliberately chose to abstain,” Sani told me.
