The Senate has denied rumors that it clashed with Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele at a recent executive session with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The allegations were deemed false and deceptive by Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, in a statement released on Sunday.
He maintained that the reports were a misrepresentation of normal legislative procedures as indicators of internal strife.
The statement said, “We have been alerted to various media reports that the Senate’s leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, and president, Godswill Akpabio, fought during a recent executive session that was held to discuss whether the Senate should go on annual recess.
“There is absolutely no truth in the reports. They misrepresent long-standing customs and practices in parliaments around the world, where members, irrespective of their political inclinations, use parliamentary debates, questions, or interpellations to discuss every initiative in a decisive and diverse manner prior to approval or authorization.
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The Senate spokesperson asserts that heated discussion is still a feature of parliamentary democracy and does not always reflect member dissension.
The Senate, the highest legislative body in our nation, is not any different. In our Chamber, every bill, motion, and proposal is scrutinized closely virtually every day, just like in other parliaments.
He stated that this calls for “strong debates in which members examine and analyze every initiative before the Senate solely in the interest of over 230 million Nigerians.”
Adaramodu emphasized that the discussions, whether in committee or plenary sessions, should not be interpreted as personal disputes or indications of disunity within Senate leadership.
“Debates on policy matters, whether in the chamber or committee room, should not be interpreted as disputes between members, nor do they indicate a weakness in the leadership,” he said.
