Senators Clash Over Seating Arrangements in Plenary Resumption
After a forty-day Easter and Sallah break, Senators resumed plenary, encountering a tumultuous session marked by heated arguments.
It happened in the newly renovated Hallowed Chamber, with senators embroiled in disputes over seating arrangements.
Excel Magazine International learnt a sense of excitement filled the chamber as proceedings commenced, but tensions rose when Senate President Godswill Akpabio began acknowledging senators who celebrated birthdays during the recess.
Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u of APC Zamfara North and Senator Danjuma Goje of APC Gombe Central were among those discontented with their allocated seats, voicing their grievances to Senate Leader Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele of APC Ekiti Central.
The Senators are using the renovated chamber for the first time today, this is coming 19 months after the closure of the Hallowed Chamber.
Recall that both the House of Representatives and the Senate moved to temporary chambers in September 2022 after commencement of renovation work on their Hallowed Chambers by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited in July 2022.
The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) had in March 2021, awarded an N37 billion contract to Visible Construction Limited and some other firms for the rehabilitation of critical segments of the National Assembly complex, construction of the Library, permanent site for the National Assembly Service Commission ( NASC).
The rehabilitation works are almost completed now.
According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators sit according to ranking.
Ya’u’s complaints to the Leader which started on hushed tone, aggravated to shouting match between the two and consequently sparked reactions from other Senators and eventually degenerated into a rowdy session.
During the rowdy session which lasted for about 30mins, Senator Ya’u angrily pointed his finger at the Leader, complaining that the Seat allocated to him at the far right of the chamber was not befitting, being a ranking Senator who held the principal position of Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate during the 9th National Assembly.
The verbal counter-punching between the Leader and Senator Ya’u, festered further when Senator Danjuma Goje ( APC Gombe Central ), joined them.
Goje also complained to the Leader that ranking Senators were not well positioned in the sitting arrangement .
To calm nerves, the President of the Senate, Akpabio called on the Leader and aggrieved Senators surrounding him to approach the Chair which they did and eventually paved way for Akpabio to read his welcome address.
After Akpabio’s welcome address, an emergency executive session was called for by the leader apparently to diffuse the bottled anger among Senators over sitting arrangement.
