….Intending defectors to meet Senate President
BEVERLY HILLS, February 04, (THEWILL) – Senators averted the much anticipated stormy session on Tuesday as they discussed the issue of defection of some of the members behind closed door before throwing the plenary open for other legislative action, especially the debate on the 2014 budget.
However, Senate President , David Mark, was again absent at the Senate plenary as he was said to be attending the Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa.
Senator Bukola Saraki, leading 10 other Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had submitted a letter of defection to the Senate President last Wednesday.
But the Senate President has not read the letter, though he was absent from the sitting last Thursday.
His absence sparked a crisis on the floor, leading to a sharp division between the senators of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However the senators immediately went into a closed session at the beginning of Tuesday’s sitting to apparently take a common stand on the vexed issue. The sitting, which lasted for one hour, was able to resolve the controversy.
Sources at the session disclosed that Senators insisted that the defecting senators have to meet with the Senate President as agreed to thrash out some issues.
A source said that the senators planning to defect were also told that if the issues cannot be thrashed out after the meeting with Mark, the situation can then be handled according to the rules.
It was also confirmed that the meeting fixed for Monday night was later put off and scheduled to hold on Tuesday night.
EMMA UCHE, ABUJA
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