Saraki unsettles APC govs

The leadership crisis in the Senate is still taking its toll on governors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as they still failed to reach a consensus on how to resolve the impasse, and the division it has created amongst the party’s caucus in the upper chamber.

Arising from their meeting late Thursday night, in Abuja, the governors were still divided on how the crisis should be handled.

It was gathered, that some of the governors argued that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, should apologise to the party at a meeting to include its leadership and members of the opposing sides in the crisis.

But it was learnt that others differed on the grounds that governors should await the decision of the Ministry of Justice on the police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders 2015.

Governors, who seemed to favour Saraki, were said to have included Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, who reportedly warned that any delay in resolving the crisis would impact negatively on the party and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

They suggested that a meeting of parties to the crisis should be convened in the next one week, where Saraki should apologise to the party leaders and the President.

It was learnt that there were others, including the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who said the forum should wait for the decision of the justice ministry on the forgery of the Senate Standing Orders.

Such governors were said to have argued that Saraki twice violated the constitution and defied the party’s leadership.

They were said to have cited the forged standing order and the disregard for the party’s directive on the appointment of principal officers.

It was also learnt that at the meeting, the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who headed a peace committee set up by the governors on the crisis, briefed the forum on the efforts so far made by the panel to resolve the issue.

Investigations showed that the Oshiomhole-led committee lamented that the crisis in the Senate was dragging too long.

Read also: Exclusive…. Inside the plot to remove Saraki

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak to the media about the meeting, said, “The governors have not taken any decision on the senate crisis. Saraki’s repeated disrespect of the party does not help the matter. At the meeting, some governors expressed the view that the crisis should be resolved once and for all, while others were not happy with Saraki’s disrespect for the party’s leaders, including the President.

“Such governors insisted that the forum should wait for the decision of the justice ministry on the police report on the forgery of the 2015 Senate Standing Orders. They prefer the prosecution of everyone involved in the forgery.”

It was learnt that the governors, who were not happy with Saraki, argued that treating Saraki’s case with levity would set a bad precedence in the party.

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