Niger Top News

War of words in Senate over Bukola Saraki

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor; Henry Umoru, Joseph Erunke, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Abiodun Alade ABUJA— The rumbles from Tuesday’s election of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President continued, yesterday, with opponents and supporters of the nation’s new number three man stalking one another in furtherance of upturning or sustaining the new order.
 Senator Bukola Saraki was nevertheless conciliatory towards his antagonists in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as he dismissed insinuations of his imminent defection from the party. His insistence nonetheless, the bad blood flowing from Saraki’s upset of the APC’s official nominee for Senate President flowed into the Senate session, yesterday, as the different camps in the party squabbled over the legitimacy of the inauguration. Besides, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, yesterday, publicly snubbed a handshake from the Senate President at the swearing-in of 28 senators who missed the oath-taking on Tuesday.
 SARAKI'S FIRST PLENARY SESSION: Senate President Bukola Saraki (M) going in for his first plenary session as President of Senate yesterday. Behind him is Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
 Photo: NAN. SARAKI’S FIRST PLENARY SESSION: Senate President Bukola Saraki (M) going in for his first plenary session as President of Senate yesterday. Behind him is Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. Photo: NAN.
 The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in its own intervention, chided the APC over its threat of sanctions on the new National Assembly leadership, saying the ruling party had proved to all that it was not prepared for governance.