By Musa Baba Adamu
The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu has denied that the reported spat between the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele signified a crack in the ranks of the members of the upper chamber.
Peoples Daily reports that there had been reports of alleged open spat the two leaders of the Senate over disagreement in the leadership style.
But the Adaramodu in his response through a statement issued yesterday said what might have been construe as crack in the relationship of the leaders was nothing short of parliamentary procedures playing out.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to diverse media reports claiming that President of the Senate, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio and Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele clashed during an executive session recently convened to deliberate whether the Senate should proceed on annual recess.
“The reports do not contain any iota of truth. In entirety, they misconstrue time-tested practices and traditions in the parliament worldwide, where members, regardless of their political leanings, leverage the instruments of parliamentary debates, questions or interpellations to discuss every initiative decisively and eclectically before approval or authorisation.
“The Senate, as our country’s highest law-making institution, is not different in any way. Like other parliaments, every bill, motion and proposal is always subjected to intense scrutiny in our Chamber almost on a daily basis.
“This entails robust debates to which members discuss and dissect every initiative before the Senate purely in the interest of over 230 million Nigerians.
“Whether in the chamber or committee room, debates on policy issues should not be misconstrued as altercations among members, neither do they suggest any crack in the rank of the leadership.”
