News Editor
By David Odama
Senate has vehemently debunked reports in some media platforms about alleged cracks in its leadership ranks following an alleged clash between the President of the Red Chamber, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele during an executive session convened last week.
In a statement signed by the chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu and released on Sunday, the upper legislative chamber insisted that there was no iota of truth in the reports.
The spokesperson, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, said debates on policy issues are not expected to be misconstrued as altercations among members or be seen as crack in the rank of the leadership.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to diverse media reports claiming that President of the Senate, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio, GCON and Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, CON 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.”
