CPDM Crime Syndicate: Senate convenes November session despite president’s absence ⁰

Aboubakary Abdoulaye, the first vice-president of the Senate, signed a decree on October 23 calling for the Senate to meet in November. This is unusual, as it is typically the Senate president, Marcel Niat Njifenji, who signs such decrees.

“The president is once again getting medical treatment abroad,” a parliamentary source said.

The absence of the upper house president has sometimes affected how the Senate works. During the March session, the Senate’s leadership team couldn’t be renewed for several days because the outgoing president was away. Sources in the Senate said he was recovering abroad and could not run for reelection.

The decree signed by the first vice-president aims to prevent further delays. Aboubakary Abdoulaye, a senator appointed by the ruling party CPDM and the powerful lamido of Rey Bouba in the North region, has been leading Senate debates for several years. Marcel Niat Njifenji, also an appointed senator from the Western region, usually only oversees the opening sessions.

The November session is expected to focus mainly on reviewing and approving the 2025 budget proposal presented by the executive. It will feature a general policy speech by the Prime Minister, followed by oral questioning sessions for government members. This speech, a key moment of the November session, will provide an overview of the government’s socioeconomic and cultural actions over the past year and outline the main directions for the next fiscal year.

Source: Sbbc