There was a rowdy session in the Senate on Tuesday during plenary when Senator Danjuma Goje, APC, Gombe Central took a swipe at the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Goje challenged the President of the Senate for what he described as “unparliamentary act”.
For over thirty minutes on Tuesday, plenary was summarily held in suspense following the quagmire.
The Senate was already in session when Akpabio walked into the hallowed Chamber and took over the seat from the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, APC, Kano North who was presiding.
Trouble started when Akpabio as soon as he took his seat, summoned the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central and others to approach the Chair for a meeting.
Goje, irked by Akpabio’s action immediately rose and raised a point of Order, Citing Oder 55 (12) (a) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 as Amended which states that “interaction not allowed” during plenary.
He told Akpabio that “Interaction is not allowed except to move the business that we have been called upon to do.
“Mr. Senate President what you are doing is unparliamentary. You are disturbing the business of the Senate. You cannot be holding a separate meeting when the Senate is in session.”
Akpabio then summoned Goje to approach the Chair, but he refused saying he cannot be part of what is illegal and unparliamentary.
Goje said, “What I’m trying to say, Mr. President, is that what is happening now is unparliamentary. What you are doing here is unparliamentary. You should have done this outside. When we come to the Parliament, we do parliamentary business.
“I want you to listen to this. What we are doing here, everything is at standstill now. We are not doing business”.
The Senate President in response then said “noted”.
Goje fired back and said “noted but not sustained”?
Subsequent efforts by Akpabio to pacify the former Gombe State Governor did no scale through as Senator Goje insisted that the Senators holding meeting with the Senate President “should leave there so that the Senate will move on.
Akpabio agreed that he was going to ask them to move on, but offered Goje an olive branch to join the meeting, which Goje turned down as he vehemently refused to be part of the meeting.
To cool down the nerves of Goje, Akpabio then said that “everybody that you see here was invited by the chair for a brief discussion in continuation of today’s sitting and in line with the order you have just read, whether or not we should proceed in view of a very urgent assignment at the villa by one o’clock.
“Please, approach the chair so you can also be part of it”, Akpabio said.
Senator Goje however said “I don’t want to be part of it. I’m opposed to this one. I will not come. It’s unparliamentary. It’s wrong”.
Akpabio then said “I just want to inform you that today is the Armed Forces Emblem Launch which will take place at the Presidential Villa” which he was hurrying to be part of.
