Date: 2016-07-18

President Muhammadu Buhari met some former national assembly leaders at the presidential villa on Monday over the crisis in the senate, TheCable has learnt.

Senate President Bukola Saraki is currently on two trials, one at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false asset declaration and the other at a federal high court over alleged forgery of the senate rules used for the election of principal officers.

His deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, is also charged over the alleged forgery.

Both of them have denied the charges and maintained that they are being persecuted by the executive.

Buhari met behind closed doors with two former senates presidents, David Mark and Kenneth Nnamani, and former speaker, Aminu Masari, who is also currently governor of Katsina state.

Sources said the meeting was part of moves to resolve the tension between the executive and the senate, which has placed a lot of things on hold.

The meeting took place inside the president’s office.

Ita Enang, the senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters, was also at the meeting, which ended without any of the participants talking to the media.