Senate Leadership: APC Senators Almost Trade Punches At Peace Meeting

 

 

A peace meeting summoned on Tuesday, June 23 by Senate President Bukola Saraki ended abruptly as some of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators who attended the meeting almost resorted to a physical fight.

 

The meeting, was to resolve the crisis over the remaining Senate positions, including Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip.

 

Saraki had announced before the end of plenary that APC Senators would meet after the session.

 

The meeting, which began around 2 pm, had 40 APC Senators in attendance. The parley, which went into a closed door session after a welcome address by Saraki, later erupted into a shouting match between the two opposing camps in the APC.

 

The Senator Ahmed Lawan Senate Unity Forum accused Saraki of attempting to impose principal officers on the caucus. It insisted that the leadership of the party should be allowed to decide who should occupy positions belonging to the APC in the upper chamber.

 

A source who witnessed the break-up of the meeting said it was not quite clear what led Senator Kabiru Marafa, spokesperson of the Unity Forum, and Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, representing Kwara South and member of Saraki’s Like Minds Senators, into a near exchange.

 

It was gathered that senators were charging at each other; others were battling to seperate them.

 

The forum condemned the meeting, saying it was unconstitutional and an affront to the party leadership.