Anita Ogona
Sitting arrangement tore senators apart when they resumed plenary on Tuesday in the main chamber of the National Assembly which had been under renovation for years.
Recall that the main chambers of the National Assembly had been undergoing renovation.
During the time, the Senators were operating from a temporary hall.
Following the completion of the project, they moved in to the renovated chamber for their legislative business after spending about 40 days on recess.
Trouble started when the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, started reading out names of Senators who marked their birthdays during the forty days recess. Specifically, Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u (APC Zamfara North), stood up from the seat allocated to him to complain to the Majority Leader, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), that he was not comfortable with the seat allocated to him.
The tone in which he complained triggered a harsh reaction from Senator Bamidele, a development that led to the two senators exchanging words in unpleasant tones.
This degenerated into a rowdy session and consequently forced the senators to rush into a closed-session.
During the rowdy session, Senator Ya’u angrily pointed his finger at Opeyemi, complaining that the seat allocated to him was not befitting, being a ranking Senator who held a principal position of Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate during the 9th National Assembly.
The verbal tantrums deepened when Senator Danjuma Goje (APC Gombe Central ), joined.Goje also complained to the leader that ranking Senators were not well positioned in the sitting arrangement.
But Akpabio called on the leader and aggrieved Senators surrounding him, to sheathe their swords, after which he delivered his welcome address.
After Akpabio’s address, the senator went into an emergency executive session.
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