Barely a week after a similar clash at the House
of Representatives, supporters of the main Peoples Democratic Party and those
of the Kawu Baraje-led faction of the party clashed again at the Senate on
Wednesday.
A timely intervention by Senate President, David
Mark however saved a crisis situation on the floor of the senate when members
were making their contributions on a motion on the demise of late former Ondo
State governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu.
Trouble started when a former governor of Gombe
State, Danjuma Goje, representing Gombe Central Senatorial district, while
extolling Agagu’s virtues, described himself as a member of the New PDP with
Alhaji Kawu Baraje as the National Chairman.
The Senator representing Kogi West, Smart
Adeyemi, immediately raised a point of order which was granted by the Senate
President.
Adeyemi argued that Goje had ran foul of the
order 53 of the Senate Standing Rule, by “using offensive language against the
party on whose platform he was elected as a senator” and asked Mark to caution
him.
The debate was nearly hijacked by members of the
main opposition party in the senate, the All Progressive Party, who
shouted at Adeyemi while he was making his submissions.
Goje insisted that he was a founding member of
the party while Smart joined some years after.
Supporters of the New PDP and some APC members in
the Senate shouted at Adeyemi.
However, Adeyemi said, “Anyone who is not happy
with his or her membership of the PDP should better defect to another party.
“They cannot remain in the PDP and be creating
crisis”
Mark immediately intervened and remarked that the
PDP remained a strong, united party, to which Goje belonged even if he claimed
that he had a different chairman.
He said, “The PDP remained a strong united party
and Goje has not said he is not a member. He only said someone else is the
chairman of the party which he recognises. We are distinguished
senators, do not let us turn our chamber into a market place over a small
issue.”
Meanwhile, senators paid glowing tributes to
Agagu on the floor of the hallowed chamber on Wednesday following a
motion by the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Boluwaji
Kunlere.
Kunlere, who contested the senatorial seat with
Agagu in 2011, drew his colleagues’ attention to the sudden death of the
former governor last week after he returned from a vacation abroad.
He noted that the late Agagu who had served his
state and the nation as a deputy governor, governor and minister at various
periods, deserved a special honour by the senate.
He, therefore, moved that the Senate should
observe a minute silence for him and also, send a delegation to commiserate
with his family and the people of Ondo State.
Senators Hosea Agboola, Danjuma Goje, Ajayi
Boroffice, and Adegbenga Kaka, who made contributions on the issue, commended
the virtues of the late Agagu and described him as “a simple, very accommodating,
and highly articulate politician.”
They observed that Agagu performed very well in
all the assignments he undertook, either at the state or federal level, and
that his achievements were worth celebrating.
Before requesting the senators to vote on the motion,
Mark observed that the favourable comments made about Agagu showed
that Nigerians, irrespective of their party affiliation or ethnic
consideration, agreed that the late governor was an achiever.
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