Saraki defies APC, names principal officers submitted by Senate caucus

The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Thursday defied nominees of the All Progressives Congress for the positions of principal officers.

Rather, Saraki went with the list of nominees submitted by the Senate caucus as principal officers.

Efforts by Senator Kabiru Marafa to counter the position of the Senate caucus was rebuffed by Saraki who ruled him out of order‎.

Saraki told Marafa that the matter had been addressed on Wednesday.

Earlier, Saraki had announced Mohammed Ndume as the Senate Leader, Ibn Na’Allah as Deputy leader, Olusola Adeyeye as Senate Chief Whip and Francis Alimkanah as Deputy Senate whip.

The names were submitted by Senate caucus to the Senate president.

Investigations by one of our correspondents on Wednesday revealed that 11 out of the 13 senators from the North East voted in favour of Ndume (Borno South) as the Senate Leader during their caucus meeting.

The party had zoned the position to the North East but named Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) as its preferred candidate.

Also, the party’s choice for the post of Deputy Senate Leader, George Akume, was said to have been rejected by the caucus.

The caucus members were said to have argued that since Saraki, who is from the North Central, had emerged as the Senate president, it would be fair and just to allow another zone take up the position.

Consequently, the North West caucus met on Wednesday and endorsed the candidature of Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South) as the deputy leader.

Lawan had dissociated himself from the election conducted by the North East caucus.

He insisted that he would align himself with the position of the APC leadership.

He said: “I am not aware of any election.

“The party has spoken.

“It is now left for the Senate president to make the announcement.”