The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, yesterday said there was no breakdown of decorum in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly.
He said senators are mature politicians who cannot induge in unruly behaviours like throwing chairs and tables.
Akpabio, who spoke with State House correspondents, after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also said disagreement among senators are resolved in a mature manner.
He explained that he visited the president to congratulate him for his positive steps and to intimate him with the activities of the Senate.
Also, Senator Tanko Almakura, former governor of Nasarawa State, who visited the president, urged Nigerians to be patient with him because he has good intentions.
The Senate President explained how he managed the disquiet on the floor of the Upper Chamber on Tuesday, which led to the walk out by Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, who led Akpabio’s campaign for the Senate Presidency.
Ndume had raised a point of order, citing an order from the Senate’s Rule Book to protest Akpabio’s handling of some proceedings, but the Senate President ruled him out of order.
Reflecting on the incident, Akpabio said: “In the parliament, sometimes you disagree to agree. We are all working in one accord. There is no problem at all.
“Even if some people disagree on some of the happenings in the Senate, still, it is only the majority decision that is going to prevails and Parliament is like that. But we will never get to a point of throwing chairs. We will never get to that point.
The Senate is too mature, full of matured people. So, if we have a disagreement, we immediately go into a closed session, resolve it and come out smiling. We are politicians; no permanent hatred but permanent interest.
“That interest is the interest of the nation, to support the President, support his administration in legislation, oversights functions to succeed, in order to move the country forward and that is what we have been doing and that is what we are committed to doing.”
On why he was at the State House, Akpabio said he came to inform President Tinubu about the Senate’s plan go for its first ever retreat in Akwa Ibom State.
He said: “I came to inform the President of the first 10th Assembly retreat, which is taking place tomorrow in Akwa Ibom State and also to solicit his support towards ensuring representation at the retreat and he has graciously done that and I told him some of the things we are going to discuss – tax reform and ways of ensuring the generation of revenue for him to work for Nigerians.
“He needs to be informed that the Senate will not be available in Abuja. We are moving the Senate to Akwa Ibom for the next four days. Thereafter, I will be travelling personally to Angola to attend the internal parliamentary union. So, before he sees me, it will take probably another nine days. So, I needed to inform him.” (The Nation)
