10th June, 2015
Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Members of Senate Unity Forum, a group of Senators in the ruling All Progressives Congress who were in support of the failed bid of Senator Ahmed Lawan of Yobe State to become the President of the eight Senate of the National Assembly told journalists on Wednesday that they will be going to court to challenge the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate.
The Senators spoke to journalists after they were sworn in by the new Senate President on Wednesday.
The 27 members of Unity Forum, led by Lawan, were sworn in by the Senate President Bukola Saraki who administered oath of office and allegiance on Lawan and 27 other All Progressives Congress Senators who were absent at the formal inauguration of the Eighth Senate on Tuesday.
Yesterday the APC Senators were waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Abuja when Senator Saraki was elected as the President by mostly Senators elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after the proclamation of the Senate by the Clerk.
The leadership of APC, while rejecting the election of Saraki as Senate President yesterday, had directed its members to immediately resume at the National Assembly for their legislative duties.
In compliance with the directive, members of the Lawan-led group had early this morning converged on the Senate chambers and they were duly sworn in after the votes and proceedings of the previous legislative day were adopted.
Lawan and George Akume, the preferred candidate of APC for the position of Senate President and Deputy Senate President, were among the Senators sworn in.
Other members of the group who were sworn in include Senators Olusola Adeyeye (Osun), Isiaka Adeleke (Osun), and Shehu Sani (Kaduna), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos).
Speaking to journalists shortly after they were sworn in, members of the Senate Unity Forum said they totally rejected the election of Senator Bukola Saraki and Senator Ike Ekwerenmadu as senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.
The group said at the press conference that they will go to court to challenge the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu for the two topmost positions in the upper chamber.
The group said they will ask the court to quash the election of Saraki and Ekweremadu because among others, 57 Senators who were present during the inauguration and election did not form the required quorum for the election.