On June 9, members of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, put aside political affiliation to elect their leaders. Some of them defied their party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

A former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, emerged the President of the Senate. Whereas Saraki, representing Kwara Central, is of the ruling APC, Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the opposition PDP, surprisingly emerged Deputy Senate President, defeat ing Senator Ali Ndume of the APC.

The Senator President pledged that he would be guided by the enormity of the responsibilities that the national challenge had imposed on everybody while, at the same time, strive to be just, equitable and fair to all.

As the Senate resumed plenary on Wednesday, June 10, Saraki administered the oath of office and allegiance on the 28 APC lawmakers who were absent at the inauguration of the 8th Senate.

Immediately thereafter, the senators protested and even threatened to sue him over the process that produced him and Ekweremadu as President and Deputy President of the Senate respectively.

The group, numbering 51, loyal to Senator Ahmed Lawan, who had been nominated for the President of the Senate by the APC leadership and had been at a meeting with President Buhari at the time Saraki and Ekweremadu emerged as Senate leaders, staged a walkout after being ruled out of order by the Senate President. Drama unfolded on the Senate floor when attempts made by Senators Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) and Barnabas Gemade (APC Benue North East) to get Saraki to reconsider the process that brought him into office through breaches of the privileges of the 51 APC senators that were shut out of the election.

Thereafter, the pro-Lawan senators, led by Gemade, under the aegis of the Unity Forum, at a media briefing, accused the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, of carrying out an illegality with the election of Saraki as Senate President when only 57 out of 108 senators-elect across party divides were around. They vowed to contest the process in the court of law.

But sensing that the ruling APC may explode, the APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, threw his weight behind the emergence of Saraki as the President of the Senate, adding that the reality was that Saraki's colleagues had duly elected him and the party was ready to live with the reality.

By last Thursday when the Senate President clocked 17 days in office, he had made germane statements concerning the economy, politics, international relations, oil sector, revenue allocation, allowance for lawmakers.

During the visit of some civil society groups under the aegis of Civil Society Situation Room, led by Sir Clement Nwankwo, Saraki attributed alleged corruption at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to what he termed "lack of operational budget", saying such an era where there was deliberate non-provision of operation budget for agencies of government to function was over.

According to him, non-provision of operational budget for most agencies, especially income generating agencies, was leading to "serious leakages."

He disclosed that the 1999 Constitution Amendment Bill, the 2011 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, as well as the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, which were either passed by the last National Assembly or refused assent by former President Goodluck Jonathan would be given attention as soon as the Senate resumes from break.

Also during the visit of a delegation of the British High Commission led by the High Commissioner, Andrew Pocock, the envoy assured that the UK will work closely with the Nigerian government in ensuring good governance at all levels.

When he received the United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, in his office, the President of the Senate restated the hope of a brighter Nigeria and reiterated his commitment to enacting legislation that would sustain an investment-friendly atmosphere with the view to bringing the country out of its current economic downturn.

Also during the visit of the Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Osagie Okunbor, Senator Bukola Saraki reiterated the commitment of the Senate towards the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bills (PIB) through intensive dialogue that will address the bottleneck which made the bill recalcitrant.

The Senate President equally admitted oath of office and allegiance on former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Kano Central.

To take off effectively, Saraki made his first official appointments, naming Senator Isa Galaudu as his Chief of Staff.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Benedith Efeturi, Saraki also appointed Yusuph Adesola Olaniyonu as his Special Adviser, Media.

Also during the period under review, the deadlock in the Senate over the choice of leaders and whips of the APC rumbled on with the senators elected on the platform of APC coming to near blows at a forum to choose their officers.

Problem started when a returning senator from Ondo State said the ruling APC would not dictate to senators, saying the party's nominee would not have emerged as Chief Whip if the vote was left to the South-West senators to decide.

He was said to have suggested Senator Ajayi Boroffice for the post. This angered Senator Kabiru Marafa, Zamfara Central. It was at this point that the two senators in different camps went for one another's jugular before some colleagues rushed to separate them.

Saraki, while declaring open the meeting of the APC senators, had said, "I appeal to you all to let us do those things that will unite us than to those that will divide us. I am ready and desirous, as colleagues to work with all of you in order to provide that focused leadership in the Senate and National Assembly as an institution".

Last week, the jostle to fill the principal officers in the red chamber also tore the APC apart.

The ruling party has these positions: Senate Majority Leader; Deputy Majority Leader; Senate Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip while the opposition.

PDP has the Senate Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader; Senate Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.

The APC nominees were as follows: Senate Majority Leader (North east-Senator Ahmad Lawan); Deputy Majority Leader (North central-Senator George Akume); Senate Chief Whip (South west-Senator Olusola Adeyeye) and Deputy Chief Whip (North west-Senator Abu Ibrahim).

For the PDP, it was gathered that its caucus would push forward the immediate last Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta and Senator representing Delta South, Senator James Manager for the position of Minority leader; the immediate past Senate Committee Chairman on Power and Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda for Deputy Minority leader; former Governor of Plateau State and senator representing Plateau Central, Joshua Dariye as Minority Whip and former Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and Senator representing Gombe South, Joshua Lidani for deputy Minority Whip.

Again, the pro-Saraki senators defied the APC leadership to come up with lawmakers loyal to them to fill four principal offices.

At the end of the day, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno, North east) was favoured as Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na'Allah, a first timer in the Senate, but a two-term member of the House of Representatives from Kebbi State got the position of Deputy Senate Leader while Senator Olusola Adeyeye, from S/West, was favoured as the candidate for Senate Chief Whip and his deputy was the only Senator from the South south, Francis Alimikhana, Edo North.

Meanwhile, the Senate has suspended plenary till July 21.