President Muhammadu Buhari is set to meet with Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara over friction caused in the All Progressives Congress (APC) by their emergence as leaders of the National Assembly.
President Buhari is said to be planning to meet the aggrieved members of the Unity Forum, supporters of Senator Ahmed Lawan, who was the APC’s official candidate for the Senate Presidency.
According to The Nation’s sources, Dogara already has an appointment with the President and the Lawan group is awaiting confirmation of its appointment with the President.
“The President intends to appeal to all parties to bury the hatchets in order to move forward,” the source said.
“The President will meet formally and informally with all parties to the crisis in the new week (this week). He is neither shunning Saraki nor Dogara as being insinuated. But the President is trying to ensure peace and reconciliation.
“Buhari is disturbed that the take-off of the 8th National Assembly was not smooth as anticipated. Rather than blame any party, he wants an end to the crisis without interference in the internal affairs of the Senate or House of Representatives.”
However, the Lawan group is said to have demands if there would be a chance of a sustainable reconciliation.
The group wants the APC leadership to instill discipline and intervene in the choice of some principal officers in the Senate and consider ranking in the selection of principal officers.
Some principal offices should also be conceded to the Unity Forum as follows: Ahmed Lawan (Majority Leader); George Akume (Deputy Majority Leader); Prof. Sola Adeyeye (Senate Whip); and Abu Ibrahim (Deputy Whip).
