A face-off and war of words between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Gombe Central Senator, Danjuma Goje, caused a rowdy session during the sitting of the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday.
Naijaonpoint reports that Goje accused Akpabio of doing what is wrong and unparliamentary during the sitting.
It all started when Akpabio walked into the Chamber, took over the seat from the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who was presiding, and immediately summoned legislative leaders to an aside meeting.
However, Goje disagreed with the action of the Senate President, accusing him of wrongdoing and disturbing the business of the Senate.
The Gombe lawmaker cited order 55 (12) (a) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) which states that “interaction not allowed” during plenary to back his claims.
He told Akpabio that “Interaction is not allowed except to move the business that we have been called upon to do.
“Mr. Senate President what you are doing is unparliamentary. You are disturbing the business of the Senate. You cannot be holding a separate meeting when the Senate is in session.”
As a way of quelling the disagreement, Akpabio invited Goje to join the meeting, but the former Gombe State Governor turned down the invite, stating that he can’t be a part of the illegal and unparliamentary action he is condemning.
“What I’m trying to say, Mr. President, is that what is happening now is unparliamentary. What you are doing here is unparliamentary. You should have done this outside. When we come to the Parliament, we do parliamentary business.
“I want you to listen to this. What we are doing here, everything is at standstill now. We are not doing business,” Goje retorted.
In response, the Senate President simply said “noted.”
Not satisfied, Goje fired back and said “noted but not sustained”?
The drama went on for about thirty minutes as all efforts by Akpabio to pacify Goje fell on deaf ears as he insisted that the Senators holding meeting with the Senate President “should leave there so that the Senate will move on.
Akpabio then said that “Everybody that you see here was invited by the chair for a brief discussion in continuation of today’s sitting and in line with the order you have just read, whether or not we should proceed in view of a very urgent assignment at the villa by one o’clock.
“Please, approach the chair so you can also be part of it.”
However, Goje insisted that the ongoing discussion is wrong and he won’t be a part of it.
“I don’t want to be part of it. I’m opposed to this one. I will not come. It’s unparliamentary. It’s wrong,” he said.
Akpabio then said, “I just want to inform you that today is the Armed Forces Emblem Launch, which will take place at the Presidential Villa,” which he was hurrying to be part of.
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