The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun, has said the party will handle the crisis rocking the Senate differently from the way that of the House of Representatives was handled because an opposition Senator emerged Deputy Senate President.
Mr. Oyegun said this on Tuesday following the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader.
The Oyegun-led APC leadership had backed Femi Gbajabiamila to become the majority after he lost the Speakership to Yakubu Dogara, even though he was anointed for the position by the party.
Shortly after his emergence, Mr. Gbajabiamila paid a ‘thank you’ visit to the National Secretariat of the APC.
Speaking to journalists, the chairman commended Mr. Dogara for his “sense of patriotism”.
Mr. Dogara made a dramatic reversal, succumbing to the party’s directive, after he had insisted on not allowing Mr. Gbajabiamila become House Leader on the ground of Federal Character principle.
He had said since the Deputy Speaker, Lasun Yusuf, hails from the South West just as Mr. Gbajabiamila, another zone should be allowed to produce the Majority Leader.
Commending Mr. Dogara, Mr. Odigie-Oyegun said, “I want to commend the Speaker and his colleagues for their sense of patriotism. It is my hope and expectation that the wounds will now be totally healed that the APC family will now reunite fully as one.
“To Nigerians,” he continued, “I have already offered our regrets.”
“This is part of growing, we are new to government and we are democratic and above all, progressive movement.”
“We are in the process of welding all the various tendencies into one and today we have score one major victory and I can assure the country that the party has began the process of healing all the wounds and becoming one song force. We are moving from being a movement into a one strong political party that will back the President for the good of the entire country.”
However, on the Senate, he said, “Senate is a different level and different situation.”
“It is totally different if only we have sore thumb in the form of a PDP Deputy Senate President. So I think it is totally different and the approach and the way we are going to handle the situation will be totally different. But at the end of the day even the Senate issue will be sorted out too.”
Currently, the elections of Messrs Saraki and Ekweremadu are currently a subject of litigation.
Opposing Senators, belonging to the Unity Forum, allege that the Standing Rule ,with which the controversial elections were conducted by the Clerk of the National Assembly on June 9, was forged.
The allegation of forgery contained in a petition by Suleiman Hunkuyi, is also being investigated by the Police.
Although Punch reported last week that the Police had confirmed the forgery allegation and had submitted the purported indicting report to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said investigation on the matter was still ongoing.
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