Akpabio: It’s Normal for Senators to Disagree on Issues
•Says majority lawmakers’ decision will always prevail
•Pledges senate’s support for Tinubu’s government
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has declared that there was nothing unusual in members of the legislative arm disagreeing over issues during plenary.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, Akpabio stressed that despite different positions held by senators, majority decision by lawmakers would always carry the day.
The Senate President also pledged the support of the Red Chamber to the administration of President Tinubu adding that the legislative arm would be willing to support the Executive arm towards moving the nation forward via oversight functions.
His words: In the parliament, sometimes you disagree to agree. We are all working in one accord. There is no problem at all. Even if some people disagree on some of the happenings in the senate, still, it is only the majority decision that is going to prevail and parliament is like that. But we will never get to a point of throwing chairs.
“We will never get to that point. The senate is too mature, full of matured people, so, if we have a disagreement, we immediately go into a closed session, resolve it and come out smiling. We are politicians, no permanent hatred but permanent interest.
“That interest is the interest of the nation. To support the President, support his administration in legislation, oversight functions to succeed, in order to move the country forward and that is what we have been doing and that is what we are committed to doing.
On the purpose of his visit to the President, Akpabio said, “I came to inform the President of the first 10th Assembly retreat, which is taking place tomorrow in Akwa Ibom State and also to solicit his support towards ensuring representation at the retreat and he has graciously done that and I told him some of things we are going to discuss – tax reform and ways of ensuring the generation of revenue for him to work for Nigerians.
“He needs to be informed that the Senate will not be available in Abuja. We are moving the Senate all the way to Akwa Ibom for the next four days. Thereafter, I will be travelling personally to Angola to attend the international parliamentary union so, before he sees me, it will take probably another nine days. So, I needed to inform him.”
