The Senate: Letter of defection

High tension engulfed the Senate over the planned defection of 11 senators elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tension had mounted between the defecting senators and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Thursday last week, following the failure of the Senate number two man to read the letter of defection at the sitting on Thursday.

Ekweremadu had insisted that he did not have the said letter which was submitted to the Senate President David Mark, on Wednesday.

A meeting of the defecting senators and Mark was scheduled for Monday evening, when issues relating to the defection would be sorted out.

Sources, however, told the Nigerian Tribune that the defecting senators and APC caucus in the Senate were already tensed up over the indication that Mark may not read the defection letter.

“Expect a charged atmosphere in the Senate on Tuesday (today). We expect nothing other than Mark reading the letter of defection,” a lawmaker of the APC said.

There were indications, however, that Mark would not read the letter jointly signed by the 11 senators.

Last Wednesday, Senator Bukola Saraki and 10 others had signed a letter of defection from PDP to APC.

It was already confirmed that one of those that signed the letter, Senator Umaru Dahiru, had immediately raised issues and advised Mark not to read the letter last Wednesday.

Senator Dahiru, whose name appeared on the defection list, had stepped up to the Senate President in the chamber last Thursday and told him not to mention his name among the defectors.

Besides, the Senate leadership had indicated that there could not be group defection, as every senator was supposed to come by way of personal explanation contained in Order 43 of the Senate standing rules.

Again, a source said the Senate President was of the view that the planned defection had been caught in the web of order 53(5) of the Senate standing orders, which advised that the Senate may not mention an issue already before the courts if the Senate President believed that such a mention would jeopardise the suit.

The concerned senators had joined their House of Representatives counterparts to file a suit stopping the Senate from declaring their seats vacant.

Sources said the Senate session of today could become rowdy, as the opposition lawmakers and their PDP counterparts were already warming up for a showdown.

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