There were indications yesterday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the National Assembly may have dropped the threat to impeach the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to ensure that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was not truncated. Recall that the national leadership of the APC had before the resumption of the national assembly from the annual vacation threatened that the Senate President would be impeached, having dumped the ruling party for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
There was the fear that there would be crisis in the Senate over the alleged plot to unseat Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu even as the PDP had also vowed to resist any change of leadership. Speaking to State House correspondents after the Friday juma’at prayer at the State House Mosque, Abuja, the Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, said the senators had for now decided to place premium on the national interest instead of individual or party interest. Lawan had prior to the reconvening of the National Assembly on Tuesday, declared at the APC Convention at the Eagle Square, Saturday night that APC would not allow leadership of the National Assembly run away with its mandate.
But speaking on the alleged impending crisis Lawan said: “I don’t know what informed your view to anticipate crisis but let me tell you that NASS will continue to remain focused on national issues, we must be patriotic, nationalistic, we must put national interest above individual, parochial or partisan interest. “We definitely have to bury our hatchets for us to work for Nigeria and Nigerians. Perhaps that might have informed the disappointment of many people that there will be crisis in the National Assembly.
“Let me also say that disagreements are usual, in fact, they are very practical components of any parliament, when you have 2 to 3 parties or even within parties you will have views that may differ. Asked if the idea of impeachment has been dropped, he said: “The National Assembly is a Nigerian parliament and therefore the best thing to do is to ensure that Nigerians get a good deal and for now the good deal is for Nigeria to have all those pending requests of Mr President approved by the National Assembly. “I think the national interest for now overrides any other interest.”
