Senate, Reps postponed resumption as leadership crisis persists

Senate, Reps postponed resumption as leadership crisis persists 

The Senate and the House of

Representatives have

extended the date for

resumption plenary sessions,

which was earlier scheduled

for Tuesday, July 21.

Members are now expected to

resume July 28.

This was made known by the

the Clerk of the House of

Representatives, M. A. Sani-

Omolori, who released an

official notice of the

postponement.

“This is to inform all

Honourable members of the

House of Representatives of

the postponement of

resumption of plenary

session from adjourned date

of Tuesday, 21st July to

Tuesday, 28th July 2015,” Mr.

Sani-Omolori said in his

statement.

Also, a source close to the

Senate President, Bukola

Saraki, told PREMIUM TIMES

that the Senate “has also

extended its resumption to

July 28″.

According to our source, the

postponement became

imperative because of the

crisis rocking the National

Assembly, especially the

House of Representatives,

over the choice of legislators

that will clinch the principal

positions of the Nigerian

legislative arm.

Plenary session was

adjourned at both chambers

of the National Assembly on

Thursday, June 25, in the

wake of fracas that ensued on

the floor of the House

between members of the All

Progressives Congress loyal to

the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara,

and those loyal the party.

Also in defiance of the

leadership of APC same day, Mr. Saraki

named Ali Ndume, Senate Leader;

Francis Alimikhena, Deputy Whip; and

Bala Na’Allah, Deputy Senate Leader, in

spite of stiff opposition from APC

Senators loyal to the ruling party.

PREMIUM TIMES understands that the

adjournment of plenary sessions by

Messrs Saraki and Dogara was to create

additional time within which the crisis

could be resolved.

The crises however remain unresolved.

Mr. Dogara finally responded to the

leadership of the APC, rejecting the

party’s position of the choice of the

principal positions, citing Federal

Character principle.

He made a new proposal which would

see the North West produce the Majority

Leader, thereby blocking Femi

Gbajabiamila, South West, who is being

favoured by the APC leadership.

The APC is yet to respond to Mr.

Dogara’s proposal.

But Mr. Gbajabiamila’s group has vowed

to ensure Mr. Dogara obeys the party’s

directive.