TWENTY-TWO Northern senators elected on the All Progressives Party (APC) platform have been identified as “teaming up with the opposition to work against President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party”.
The senators allegedly teamed up with 46 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators in the Red Chamber to pass a confidence vote in the leadership of the Senate under Dr. Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP senator.
Thirty-five APC senators were among the 81 who purportedly endorsed the vote of confidence in the principal officers of the Senate.
The Nation learnt yesterday that 22 of them are from the North, according to the list attached to the motion moved on the floor of the Senate by Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The 22 senators are: Anyanwu, who promoted the Motion; Abdul A.M. Nyako;Isah Hamma Misau; Kabiru Gaya; Adamu Aliero; Abdullahi Adamu; David Umaru; Ahmed Rufa’I Sani; Tijjani Yahaya Kaura; Ahmadu Abubakar and Malam A. Wakili.
Others are: Abubakar Kyari; Sabo Mohammed; Dino Melaye; Abdulrahman Abubakar; Binta Masi Garba; Mohammed Goje; Muhammad U. Shitu; Salihu H. Egye and Aliyu S. Abdullahi.
The senators have been accused of working against the party on which platform they were got elected into the National Assembly.
The leadership of the Senate has been working against the position of the ruling party since inception.
It disregarded the APC’s advice that those who were shut out on May 29 be accommodated as principal officers for peace to reign.
As against legislative practice that only ranking members should be appointed as principal officers, two new senators – Godswill Akpabio and Abiodun Olujimi were named by Senate President as Minority Leader and Deputy Chief Whip on Tuesday.
An APC senator, Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), who raised a point of order, was ruled out of order by Saraki, who said the senator was crying more than the bereaved. House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara bowed to the wish of the party by naming those recommended by the party as principal officers when the Green Chamber reconvened on Tuesday.