ABUJA – The doors of Senate President’s Conference Room 301 flung opened, emitting a cacophony of voices that had hitherto been concealed in the recess of the closed doors meeting.
The rattle heralded angry senators, engaged in shouting match, while some were being frantically prevented from engaging in fisticuffs.
Most pronounced was Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) throated call: “where are the leadership of the Press!”, as he flew out with the doors. “Some persons want to impose leaders on us!”, he continued.
In a moment, journalists were galvanised into vantage positions as they clicked away in their cameras and dashed out of the scene to avoid being seized by the furious politicians.
However, the African Independent Television (AIT) correspondent, attached to the Senate was not that fortunate. He was pounced upon by the angry senators, in their bid to confiscate his camera-phone, but was rescued by his fellow journalists.
Senators of the All Progressive Congress (APC) had rendezvoused at the SP Conference Room, at the instance of Senate President Bukola Saraki, to produce the Senate Majority Leader and the Chief Whip as well as their Deputies.
The convener, told the senators that the meeting was convened by him to among other things, forge a unity and discard with their differences, asserting that there was always an agreement in disagreement and vise versa.
“I am well convinced beyond doubt that today, and after this family reunion, we shall all beat our chest in unison that yes!, we have done it again; it is time to bury the hatchet and renew that spirit of love, cooperation and trust in one another.
I believe that no matter what are the issues outstanding amongst us as a family of APC, they are surmountable and resolvable in the atmosphere of love and understanding”.
Journalists were thereafter ordered out of the hall to allow for the secret meeting. At the meeting, we gathered that, the senators particularly those of the Like Minds favorable to Sen. Saraki announced Sen. Ali Ndume (Borno South) as their choice for Senate Majority Leader and resolved that senators of each geopolitical zones elect one of them to occupy the position zoned to them.
However, the Unity Forum Senators favorable to Sen. Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) for Senate Majority Leader (having earlier failed to enthrone him as Senate President) insisted that only the APC leadership should forward a list that must be adopted by the senators.
As tempers rose, Sen. Tayo Alasodura (Ondo Central) queried the rationale for awarding Sen. Olusola Adeyeye (Osun Central), the post of Chief Whip that was zoned to the South West instead of Sen. Robert Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo Central).
His protest instantly provoked the already steamy Sen. Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central) into springing from his seat and dashed forward apparently to teach Sen. Alasodura a bitter lesson for challenging the zoning formula.
He was however stopped by Sen. Ibrahim, who frantically worked talked him out of the fight, but like a ring of cannons more scuffles were ignited by side comments thereby, making the hall a fighting arena of some sort.
Since inauguration of President Mohammadu Buhari 24 days ago, all has not been well with the ruling APC, as it concerns leadership of the National Assembly. While the party anointed Sen. Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidates for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Reps respectively, Sen. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara were elected.
Several attempts (the last one being brokerage by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun) had been made to reconcile the warring groups within the APC but to no avail.
Bukola Saraki, Senate President
