REWIND: In 2018, Akpabio, Saraki clashed over senate seating arrangement [VIDEO]
On Wednesday October 17, 2018, the Nigerian senate was thrown into chaos following a heated argument between then President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and Senator Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangement during a plenary session.
The disagreement started when Saraki refused to allow Akpabio, the former minority leader, to speak on a point of order raised by another senator, citing that Akpabio was sitting in the wrong seat.
Although Saraki saw Akpabio raising his hand, he refused to allow him to speak, saying he was not in the proper seat.
The situation caused a disturbance in the chamber, but Akpabio later apologized for the incident.
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NewsNGR hereby reproduces the report as published on October 17, 2018.
Drama As Senate President, Saraki, Akpabio Clash During Plenary Session
The Senate was thrown into chaos on Wednesday as lawmakers clashed over seating arrangements.
The confusion started when Senate President Bukola Saraki refused to allow former minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, to contribute to a point of order raised earlier by Senator Bassey Akpan.
Mr. Akpan had raised a point of order accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State of plotting to cause chaos in the upcoming general election. Despite APC senators shouting in the background, Mr. Akpan managed to finish his point of order.
Mr. Saraki then acknowledged Mr. Akpan’s statement and directed Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan to proceed with the next items on the Order Paper.
Although Saraki noticed Akpabio raising his hand, he refused to let him speak, saying he wasn’t seated properly.
“Senator… eh… former Minority Leader, you know you can’t speak from there. You can’t. Go to your seat, and when you get to your seat, I’ll recognise you,” Saraki said.
Saraki then asked the Senate Leader to continue with the session.
However, Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan rose to defend Akpabio, stating, “If he decides to sit there, let him. There is no microphone there. Let us not take the panadol for his headache. Let me advise, that even though we have only six, seven months to go, let’s do what is right.”
Lawan also claimed the Clerk of the Senate had allocated the seat to Akpabio, a claim Saraki denied, stating that he had instructed the Clerk to allocate seats to lawmakers.
This sparked a heated exchange, with senators shouting across the chamber, defending their parties. Amid the noise, Saraki urged Akpabio to find a seat with a microphone to make his contribution, but the request was ignored as the chamber became even noisier, with some senators rising to confront members of the opposition.
After some time, Emmanuel Paulker (PDP, Bayelsa) stood up, saying, “Mr. President, Senator Akpan came under Order 43, which is Self-Explanation. You cannot contribute. Akpabio, you cannot!”
Biodun Olujimi was heard shouting, “You were not recognised. Keep quiet! What is your problem?!”
Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules states that “By the indulgence of the Senate and the leave of the President of the Senate, a senator may make a personal explanation. The statement shall be submitted in detail to the President of the Senate. There is no contribution to be made by any other senator.”
Next, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu spoke, emphasizing that there was no need for bickering, but was interrupted by opposing lawmakers.
“There should be equity. You cannot discriminate against us,” Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan shouted.
After several minutes of noise, Akpabio stood up, stating, “I was seeking your attention to re-appraise you of Order 11. The seat was allocated to me by the Clerk and I expect that you were notified. The embarrassment I got today was uncalled for. I demand an apology, not just written but verbal too.”
Akpabio was interrupted again by more noise, with APC lawmakers demanding an apology from Saraki.
“He should apologise. Even the PDP apologised to Nigerians. What’s the big deal?” said Ali Ndume.
After further arguments, Akpabio finally apologized, saying, “In view of the situation of the Senate today, I want to apologise to my colleagues. I raised my voice earlier, and I want to say that until the Senate is properly constituted and the seats are properly arranged, I want to hold my peace.”
Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, is a first-time senator who was initially elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. However, he defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) a few weeks prior and resigned as minority leader of the chamber.
