₦airaland Forum

Senate President Bukola Saraki has
started reaching out to the All Peoples
Congress leadership and colleagues
opposed to his emergence as the head of
the National Assembly.

A senator loyal to him, Rafiu Ibrahim,
made this known in Abuja on Sunday
just as The PUNCH learnt that the
APC leadership decided to soft-pedal on
its initial opposition to the outcomes of the
National Assembly leadership elections in
order to stave off rebellion by its
lawmakers.

Ibrahim said, “We are currently meeting
with our colleagues in the Senate. Apart
from the fact that the Senate President
has been meeting with those who are
aggrieved , we, members of the Like
Minds Senators are also engaging them
on one-on-one basis.
“We are also meeting with our party
leadership and I think the peace moves
are achieving good result. It is in the
interest of everybody that we have a
united Senate.”

Some members of the Senate Unity
Forum who are loyalists of Senator
Lawan, also confirmed that Saraki and
some of his supporters were making
overtures to them.
The senators, who spoke with our
correspondent on condition of anonymity
because their leaders had barred them
from granting interviews on the issue
were, however, silent on whether the
Saraki group offered them anything in
return for their support.
A ranking senator from one of the
South-West states said Saraki
personally discussed with him on the
matter.

He said, “It is true that the Like Minds
Senators have been talking with us to
support the leadership of Saraki but we
told them that we are not having any
personal issues with the Senate president
and his deputy, Ekweremadu.
“We are upholding the sanctity of our
political party and its leadership. We
have told them our conditions for mutual
relationship and cooperation. It is left for
them to take appropriate actions.”
Another senator from the South-West
also explained that the SUF members
would meet this week to review the reply
of their party’s leadership to their
conditions.

The group had through its spokesperson,
Senator Kabiru Marafa, said it was
demanding the immediate resignation of
Ekweremadu and the investigation of
the Clerk of the National Assembly,
Salisu Maikasuwa, for his role in the
June 9 Senate inauguration.
Our correspondents however gathered in
Abuja on Sunday that the APC leaders
opted to sheathe their sword after the
Presidency reportedly intervened in the
matter.
The APC had in a statement by its
National Publicity Secretary, Lai
Mohammed, on Tuesday described the
victory of Saraki and Yakubu
Dogara as “unacceptable.”
Saraki, a former Kwara State
governor, beat APC choice, Ahmed
Lawan, to clinch the post while Dogara
defeated Femi Gbajabiamila.

Describing Saraki and Dogara’s
decisions to defy its directive and vie for
the posts as an act of “monumental
indiscipline and betrayal,” the party vowed
to sanction them in accordance with the
provisions of its constitution.
However, after a series of consultations,
the National Chairman of the party,
John Odigie-Oyegun, on Friday
announced that they were ready to work
with Saraki and Dogara.

A prominent member of the APC,who
pleaded for anonymity, explained to one
of our correspondents that what Odigie-
Oyegun said represented the position of
the party’s National Working Committee.
He added that the APC was aware that
if it kept to its hard line on the matter,
the National Assembly members who
backed Saraki and Dogara might rebel
against it (APC).
The party member said, “We have to live
with the reality that Saraki and
Dogara are the new leaders of the
National Assembly. We don’t want a
rebellion from our Senators and House
members.

“However, those who defied us and did
what they did will face a panel which will
give them fair hearing before a
disciplinary action.”
Asked what the disciplinary action would
be, he replied, “Even a warning is a form
of sanction.
“We have no intention to open ourselves
up to what the Peoples Democratic
Party did to itself in the case of
(Aminu)Tambuwal .
“When he (Tambuwal) emerged against
their (PDP) will, instead of finding a
way to manage it, they alienated him until
he left them with a lot of his colleagues to
join us (APC). We will not allow this to
happen to us.”
The party source also revealed that as
part of efforts to further douse tension,
Saraki and Dogara would be prevailed
upon not to sideline their defeated
colleagues.

Towards this end, they are expected to
concede the chairmanship of some of
choice committees in both the Senate and
the House to members of the other camp.
When asked if indeed Saraki had
waved the Olive branch before the
party’s leadership and if indeed it
had accepted to work with Saraki and
Dogara, the APC spokesman,
referred him to Odigie-Oyegun.
But calls to the mobile telephone number
of Odigie-Oyegun were neither picked
nor returned.
However, The PUNCH learnt that the
leadership of the APC had taken a
position that the remaining seats in the
House of Representatives like the
Majority Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy
Leader and Deputy Whip, were party
seats.

Another top APC member said, “The
party has come into these positions
because they are party seats and the party
reserves the power to share it to the
zones.
“What we hear is that, to calm nerves,
Femi Gbajabiamila(the defeated APC
choice candidate for the House
speakership) will be the majority leader,
while a member from Kano State, Mr.
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, will be his
deputy.
“Monguno will likely be the chief whip
while Pally Iriase from Edo State,
will deputise for him.”
But a former House spokesman and
influential member of the 8th Assembly,
Zakari Mohammed, said that replacing an
elected presiding officer with another
person was not possible.
Mohammed noted that it was likely that
people were making speculations in view
of the outcomes of the elections.
But he parried a question on what role
the House or the party would assign to
Gbajabiamila.
“I don’t know, I can’t comment on that
one,” he said.



Source ; Saraki holds peace talks with aggrieved Senators - http://www.punchng.com/news/saraki-holds-peace-talks-with-aggrieved-senators/

APC, Assembly Of Aggressive people!!

No matter how your eyes big reach, you cannot see everytin. Saraki has proved it to oga tinubu.

.

saraki the new Tinubu nightmare. FAYOSE u have a partner now.

.

collition nd movement to form another party

Saraki should make sure he didn't compromise 9jaria interest for others selfish interest then he will be forgiven by 9jarians even if APC didn't forgive him....


Good approach anyway....

DONMAYOR19:
saraki the new Tinubu nightmare. FAYOSE u have a partner now.

criosly

temitemi1:
APC, Assembly Of Aggressive people!!

shattap robot!


@post,anything to bring peace to the ruling party is welcomed

God bless Nigeria

Wisdom at play here. I love that. PDP will no doubt be relegated to the back in both chambers. A party with no remorse for their actions in the last 16 years shouldn't be trusted.

God bless PMB
God bless Nigeria.

This is bad news for some folks here...
Won't be surprise to see threads attacking the person of Saraki littered around section in the days ahead...Lol

"Shattap robot" that's a symptom of 'aggressiveness' ... Sey nah 'shattap robot' u suppose to use greet ur MAN dis early momo

MzJackBaueress:
shattap robot!


@post,anything to bring peace to the ruling party is welcomed

God bless Nigeria