BY Fredrick Nwabufo
Developments on Wednesday show that Ahmed Lawan-led All Progressives Congress (APC) senators may go to court to challenge the emergence of Bukola Saraki as senate president.
Lawan and some APC senators were absent from Tuesday’s inauguration of the senate, wherein Saraki emerged senate president unchallenged. And on Wednesday, they vowed to “take all political and legal means” to strengthen the country’s democracy.
Speaking on Wednesday during a media briefing at the national assembly complex, Barnabas Gemade, spokesman of Lawan’s Senate Unity Forum, described the process through which Saraki emerged as “unacceptable”.
“The attention of the Unity Forum has been drawn to conflicting reports about the activities that took place on the floor of the senate yesterday. For the record, we wish to present the following for clarification,” he said.
”We received an invitation through the office of the national chairman of our party, the APC, which indicated the request of Mr. President to have a brief meeting with all the APC elected senators and the house of representatives members at the International Conference Centre (ICC) before the inauguration of the national assembly at 10 am.
“The insinuation in some quarters that we boycotted election is totally unfounded. As loyal party members, we would take all necessary political and legal means to strengthen our democracy and democratic process in line with the change that we promised our teaming supporters during our campaign.
“In our effort to meet up with the time for the inauguration, we rushed to honour the invitation of Mr. President and while at the conference centre, news filtered to us that the clerk of the national assembly had started the process of election of the senate president in our absence.
“This process, which remains unconstitutional, cannot confer legitimacy on the elected senate president. Our right to participate in the election of the senate president is a constitutional right, which cannot be taken by any person or group of persons.
“The clerk of the national assembly, knowing full well that the quorum for election of the senate president had not been met, went ahead to conduct an election that shuts the door to about 53 other senators, which would remain unacceptable until what would meet democratic parameters is done.”
Twenty-three APC senators, including Ahmed Lawan (Yobe), George Akume (Benue) Shehu Sani (Kaduna), Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos) Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos) Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe) and Kabir Marafa (Zamfara) were present at the media briefing.
Meanwhile, Saraki-led “like-minded” senators have debunked the excuse of Lawan’s group, arguing that President Muhammadu Buhari never called a meeting of all APC lawmakers-elect on the same day as the inauguration.
Dino Melaye (Kogi), spokesman of the group, reiterated President Buhari’s position of being ready to work with any leadership of the national assembly, adding that the president was a victim of “name-dropping”.
On the lost position of deputy senate president to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Melaye blamed it on the APC senators who were absent during the election of presiding officers.
“Those who made the APC lose the deputy senate president yesterday were those who were absent during the election,” he said.
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