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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate has denied reports suggesting a clash between the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, during a recent executive session, describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement on Saturday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, described the reports as a complete distortion of parliamentary procedure, stressing that there was no disagreement or rift between the two senior lawmakers.
“Our attention has been drawn to diverse media reports claiming that President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, 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,” Adaramodu said.
The media reports, which emerged earlier in the week, alleged that heated exchanges took place between Akpabio and Bamidele behind closed doors over the timing of the Senate’s recess. The Senate proceeded on recess last Thursday, to resume on September 23. But, Adaramodu insisted that what occurred was standard parliamentary discourse.
“In entirety, they misconstrued time-tested practices and traditions in parliaments worldwide, where members, regardless of political leanings, leverage instruments of debate, questions or interpellations to discuss every initiative decisively and eclectically before approval or authorisation,” he stated.
He emphasised that robust debate is an essential and respected part of legislative work, not an indication of disunity or power struggle. According to him, the Nigerian Senate, like all functioning democracies, is grounded on the principle of deliberation and constructive engagement.
“Whether in the chamber or committee room, debates on policy issues should not be misconstrued as altercations among members. They equally do not suggest any crack in the rank of the leadership,” he said.
He added that every legislative item, be it a bill, motion or policy proposal, is subjected to intense scrutiny and that the chamber encourages spirited discussions that serve the collective interest of over 230 million Nigerians.
“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.
“We urge the media to be circumspect and uphold the ethics of balanced and responsible journalism. Reporting unfounded speculations as facts does not serve the public interest,” Adaramodu stated.
