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Senate president impeached, deputy resigns

    ABIDJAN

    Nigeria’s Senate was unable to elect a new president on Wednesday, a day after members voted 81 to 14 to expel the speaker, Chuba Okadigbo, according to news reports.

    The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) party on Wednesday failed to agree on its candidate for the post, causing a postponement of a scheduled Senate vote until Thursday, acting Senate President John Mbata told reporters.

    In the vote that decided Okadigbo’s fate on Tuesday, there was one abstention and 12 senators were absent from the session, Radio Nigeria reported. Okadigbo’s deputy, Haruna Abubakar, and Senate majority leader Samaila Mamman - both accused of corruption - resigned before the ballot.

    A Senate committee investigating the misuse of public funds accused Okadigbo of inflating contracts, overspending on official home furnishing, accepting US $200,000 as a Christmas “welfare gift” and acquiring eight unauthorised cars - bringing to 32 his official fleet, AFP said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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