The list of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) convention committee released on Sunday has polarized the Senate, with some Senators elected on the party’s platform faulting the constitution of the committee.
It was gathered that the lawmakers who are not inclined to the formation of the committee are insisting that the list will further heighten their grouse with the presidency to the extent that it may likely visit such vexations on the pro-Buhari Senators.
Some of the Senators, it was further gathered, are not happy that one of the much-discredited Senators among them was made the secretary of the APC convention committee secretary.
Senator Ben Uwajomogu (APC, Imo North) who was named member/secretary of the APC convention committee was among the ten Senators that staged a walkout on the Senate plenary in protest against Senate resolution reordering the general election sequence on February 14, 2018.
Out of the eleven serving Senators that make the APC Convention Committee list, only one is considered as closely associated with Senate President Bukola Saraki, while the rest are pro-Buhari senators. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta central, APC) who was suspended last Thursday is also a member of the committee.
Senate had suspended Senator Omo-Agege for 90 legislative days over unproven allegations against his colleagues that the new amendment to the Electoral Act regarding election sequence in the 2019 general election was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Senators in the committee are Ahmed Yerima, Adamu Aliero, Danjuma Goje, Abdullahi Adamu, George Akume, Ovie Omo-Agege, Andrew Uchendu, Abdullahi Danbaba, Baba Kuka and John Enoh A Senator who did not want his name mentioned in print told our correspondent that his colleagues opposed to the APC convention committee list viewed it as a means to swell-up the pro-Buhari Senators’ list, showing that there is a reward for filing behind Buhari in the Senate.
He said, “This list is also meant to create fears amongst APC Senators that not many of them will likely secure their party (APC) tickets to enable them return to the upper chamber in 2019 “This will lead to unsavory actions to be taken against pro-Buhari Senators and the next person on line now, Senator Adamu Abdullahi (Nasarawa west, APC), call it a reprisal attack or whatever.
“This is why there is palpable fear already that his case might be determined to become the next casualty of the subsisting and deepening Senate-Presidency cold war any moment from now”.
It could be recalled that Senator Adamu and 9 others had declared in their separate submissions on February 14, 2018 that the passed Electoral Act will not see the light of the day because it was targeted at President Buhari. There had been rumours that Senator Adamu who was subsequently accused on the floor of the Senate of allegedly plotting to spearhead the impeachment of Senator Saraki as the Senate President may be suspended for the rest of the days of the 8th senate.
Adamu, a former governor of Nasaraswa State, was recently removed as the chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum. He was indicted of leading some Senators to destabilize and cause disaffection among the Senators ostensibly to remove Saraki as Senate president.
Consequently, the Senate directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the allegation of insurrection plot against the leadership of the Senate and plans to destabilise the upper legislative chamber by the group of Senators allegedly led by Senator Adamu.
The Committee was given two weeks to report back to the Senate plenary for future legislative action.
