Govs of APC fight over Saraki

Firstclass newsline gathered that the senate crisis has taken a new
twist,there were strong indications that the All Progressives Congress
governors on Friday failed to take a decision on the crisis rocking
the party's caucus in the Senate.
A top source reliably gathered that the aggrieved governors, who met
in Abuja late Thursday evening, were divided over how the crisis
should be handled.
Probes showed that some of the governors argued that the Senate
President, Bukola Saraki, should apologise to the party at a meeting
to include its leadership and members of the opposing sides in the
crisis.
But it was learnt that others were not the same on the grounds that
governors should await the decision of the Ministry of Justice on the
police report on the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Orders
2015.
Also the police, in the outcome result sent to the Ministry of Justice
on Monday, established that the standing orders used for the
inauguration of the eighth Senate were forged.
In its findings, the police reportedly stated, "This practice, where
some group of senators amends the rules of the senate without
following legal procedures, is not only criminal, but portends danger
for our growing democracy and should be discouraged."
The police asked the justice ministry to vet the report and determine
whether it constitutes a criminal offence or should be treated as an
internal affair of the Senate.
Firstclass newsline learnt that some governors, who seemed to favour
Saraki, canvassed for a quick resolution of the crisis.
The governors, who were said to have included Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto
State, reportedly warned that any delay in resolving the crisis would
impact negatively on the party and the administration of President
Muhammadu Buhari.
On the other hand the governors suggested that a meeting of parties to
the crisis should be convened in the next one week, where Saraki
should apologise to the party leaders and the President.
It was also gathered that there were others, including the Kaduna
State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who said the forum should wait for the
decision of the justice ministry on the forgery of the Senate Standing
Orders.
Such governors were said to have argued that Saraki twice violated the
constitution and defied the party's leadership.
It was learnt that they were said to have cited the forged standing
order and the disregard for the party's directive on the appointment
of principal officers.
It was further learnt that at the meeting, the Edo State Governor,
Adams Oshiomhole, who conducted a peace committee set up by the
governors on the crisis, briefed the forum on the efforts so far made
by the panel to resolve the issue.
Investigations shared that the Oshiomhole-led committee lamented that
the crisis in the Senate was dragging too long.
A top source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not
authorised to speak to the media about the meeting, said, "The
governors have not taken any decision on the senate crisis. Saraki's
repeated disrespect of the party does not help the matter. At the
meeting, some governors expressed the view that the crisis should be
resolved once and for all, while others were not happy with Saraki's
disrespect for the party's leaders, including the President.
"Such governors insisted that the forum should wait for the decision
of the justice ministry on the police report on the forgery of the
2015 Senate Standing Orders. They prefer the prosecution of everyone
involved in the forgery."
It was gathered that the governors, who were not in peace with Saraki,
argued that treating Saraki's case with levity would set a bad
precedence in the party.
Governors working to resolve the crisis –Oshiomhole's aide
A source close to the Kaduna State Governor, when contacted, said, "We
are not in a position to be responding to unofficial accounts of
closed-door meetings."
Also, the Special Adviser to Tambuwal, Imam Imam, toldSaturday PUNCHon
the telephone that, "The meeting was a meeting of APC governors. It
was convened at the behest of the Imo State Governor (Owelle Rochas
Okorocha), why don't you speak to them?"
But the Special Adviser (Media) to the Edo State Governor, Kazeem
Afegbua, said his principal who was still in Abuja, as of the time he
spoke to one of our correspondents, was working round the clock to
ensure an amicable solution to the crisis.
Afegbua said, "His Excellency is still in Abuja. I am sure they will
continue to meet until all the issues that are left are resolved."
Also, the Director-General of the Progressives Governors' Forum, Saliu
Lukman, expressed confidence that whatever issues that were left would
be resolved soon.
"You should trust what our governors told you last night, total peace
will soon return," he said.
Peace to return to N'Assembly soon–Okorocha
The Chairman of the PGF, Okorocha, after the meeting early on Friday,
also said peace would soon return to the Senate.
The meeting, which started at 9:13pm at the Imo State Governor's
Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, ended at about 12:26am on Friday. It was
attended by 14 governors and two deputy governors, as well as the
party's National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Okorocha, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, said, "We are
very happy about the development in the House of Representatives as
peace is gradually returning to the National Assembly.
"We are very happy that what has taken place in the Federal House of
Representatives will soon take place in the Senate and we resolved to
make our party bigger and bigger than it is now. So, we welcome
interested parties to join us in building the Nigeria of our dreams."
Responding to a question on what transpired at the meeting, Okorocha
said, "Peace will return; we hope that very soon, we will see total
peace as we saw in the Federal House of reps.
Firstclassnewsline.net