Akpabio downplays crisis in Senate, says it won’t degenerate to hauling chairs

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio has downplayed the current faceoff between himself and Senator Ali Ndume, assuring that even if there are disagreements over issues in the Senate, it would never degenerate to the level of hauling chairs.

Akpabio gave the assurance while speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja on Wednesday, affirming that the majority will always have their way with every decision.

According to him, as politicians, they have no permanent foes but permanent interests, adding that the chamber has always resorted to executive sessions to deal with contentious matters.

He said: “In parliament, sometimes you disagree to agree. We are all working together. There is no problem at all.

“Even if some people disagree with some of the happenings in the Senate, it is still only the majority decision that is going to prevail, and Parliament is like that.

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“But we will never get to the point of throwing chairs. We will never get to that point. The Senate is too mature and full of mature people, so if we have a disagreement, we immediately go into a closed session, resolve it, and come out smiling.

“We are politicians; there is no permanent hatred but permanent interest. That interest is the interest of the nation, to support the President, his administration in legislation, and oversight functions to succeed in order to move the country forward, and that is what we have been doing and that is what we are committed to doing.”

Speaking on his visit to the Presidential Villa, the Senate President said he was at the villa to apprise President Tinubu of the Senate retreat coming up in Akwa Ibom State.

He said: “I came to inform the President of the 10th Assembly retreat, which is taking place tomorrow in Akwa Ibom State, and also to solicit his support towards ensuring representation at the retreat, and he has graciously done that.

“I told him some of the things we are going to discuss: tax reform and ways of ensuring the generation of revenue for him to work for Nigerians.

“He needs to be informed that the Senate will not be available in Abuja. We are moving the Senate all the way to Akwa Ibom for the next four days.

“Thereafter, I will be travelling personally to Angola to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union, so, before he sees me, it will take probably another nine days. So, I needed to inform him.”

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