Some members of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the Senate were at the National Assembly on Tuesday despite the cancellation of plenary by the leadership of the red chamber.
Our correspondent saw the APC lawmakers leaving the chamber for their offices after a brief discussion, while some PDP senators, who gathered in the foyer, left after they discovered that no activity was taking place in the chamber.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the APC senators wanted to ensure that their PDP colleagues did not outsmart them by sitting at plenary to discuss the suspension of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Findings revealed that a serving minister allegedly sent a text message to all APC senators on Monday evening, advising them not to take the senate leadership seriously following the cancellation of the plenary as they could hold a plenary session with their PDP colleagues.
The message read, “Distinguished APC senators, please ignore the announcement for the cancelation of the plenary slated for tomorrow (Tuesday) by making yourselves available as early as possible.
“It might just be a trick to enable them to perpetrate their usual coup, claiming the published notice did not emanate from the senate, thus it’s fake.
“Meanwhile they might have done their damage just as they did before when (Senate President, Bukola) Saraki, hijacked the Senate.”
Some of the top APC lawmakers contacted by our correspondent to know their mission at the Assembly refused to make any comments.
But those, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they were at the Assembly to stop their PDP colleagues from holding a plenary session.
A senator from the North- East said, “I came in here as early as 7.30am when I was told that PDP senators were around to discuss the Onnoghen issue.
“We had to come to ensure that the senate leadership did not trick us by holding an illegal plenary with the opposition senators.”
However, PDP senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they came around to check their offices since they were already in Abuja for Tuesday’s plenary before it was cancelled at the last minute.
Meanwhile, the Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi, has told APC caucus members to stop spreading misleading information that the Senate had decided to file a case in court challenging Onnoghen’s suspension.
Olujimi said this while reacting to a statement credited to the Senate Majority Leader, Ahmad Lawan, in which he dissociated the APC caucus from the decision of the Senate to seek the interpretation of the law in the Supreme Court.
She said, “I am surprised that a few of my colleagues in the APC caucus are spreading disinformation that they were not party to the decision to file a case seeking the interpretation of the provision of the constitution concerning the President’s decision to suspend the CJN.
“Those who are saying this are just being mischievous. “They know such a decision is not meant for debate on the floor of the Senate. It is the prerogative of the presiding officer and in this particular case, majority of the people in Senate leadership suggested and supported the idea.”
