The Unity Forum of Senators said the election of Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate was illegitimate.
The forum, led by Sen. Barnabas Gemade (APC-Benue North East), supports Ahmed Lawan for President of the Senate.
The forum walked out of Wednesday’s plenary session after their protest was ruled out of order by Saraki.
Gemade told journalists that the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, was to blame for the emergence of Saraki.
He said Maikasuwa disobeyed the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari to delay the inauguration of the 8th Assembly, pending his meeting with All Progressives Congress’ (APC) senators-elect.
Gemade contended that the non-delay denied the senators-elect who went for the meeting with the President their right to nominate the candidate of their choice.
He said the insinuation that the senators who were absent during the election boycotted it was unfounded, stressing that they had as loyal party members, gone to heed the call of the President.
“This process, which remains unconstitutional, cannot confer legitimacy on the elected Senate President.
“Our right to participate in the election of the Senate President is a constitutional right which cannot be taken by any person of group.
“The Clerk of the National Assembly knowing full well that the quorum for election had not been met, went ahead to conduct the election that shut the door to 51 other senators.
“We will like to make it very clear that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives the letter for the Proclamation.
“The Clerk is the one that received the correspondence of Mr President that there must be a slight delay in order to enable him to speak with senators of the APC before they commence the process.
“In the House of Representatives, they were able to catch up because their own happened after the Senate”, Gemade said.
He said although a quorum was formed for the inauguration of the senate, quorum was not formed for electing principal officers.
He argued that the two-thirds majority, which applied to impeachment, should apply to election.
Gemade also said that every eligible senator must be present when nomination was made and closed and if all eligible senators were not present, then a quorum had not been formed.
However, another group of senators, the `Like Minds’, led by Senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi West), dispelled claims of the Unity Forum, saying President Buhari would not fix two meetings at the same time.
“The President, in his constitutional duty, sent a proclamation letter to the National Assembly.
“In that proclamation letter, he stated categorically that the proclamation of the 8th Senate will be done at 10 a.m. on June 9, 2015.
“How can Mr President on one hand send a letter of proclamation to the National Assembly and on the other hand, call for a meeting at the International Conference Centre?
“If Mr President wants to meet legislators, the Defence House is there, the Villa is there, the banquet Hall is there; why International Conference Centre?
“However, did Mr President eventually attend to anybody at International Conference Centre? Capital No! “, Melaye said.
He said Buhari had consistently reaffirmed that he had no preferred candidate and was ready to work with whoever emerged.
Melaye said they were still loyal party members and had declined to attend the meeting as they were kept waiting for hours for a supposed meeting with the Vice President on Monday.
“The Buhari that we know cannot and will not give two contrary opinions, especially one that is against the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The letter of proclamation was written, duly signed, time stated, date stated, he will not do otherwise.
“It is not true that we disrespected the President and if the President wants to do that, he would have called.
“He had the powers to call the Clerk of the National Assembly to say `please postpone to 12 p.m., I want to meet senators at 9 a.m.
“We in the Like Minds group are ready to have one, united senate”, he stated.
Melaye denied media reports that Senator David Mark was sworn in as Senate Leader, saying that the position was exclusive to the ruling party.
Meanwhile, aggrieved APC senators on Wednesday protested the emergence of Saraki and Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy, respectively.
The senators raised objections on the election at a plenary session of the senate in Abuja.
Senator Kabir Marafa, representing Zamfara Central on the platform of the APC, raised a `point of order’ over the election at the plenary.
He explained that 51 senators, including him were waiting to attend a meeting supposedly called by President Muhammadu Buhari, when Saraki was returned as Senate President and Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
Citing order 43 of the senate, Marafa said that as a member of the 7th Assembly, he had no recollection that Senate’s Standing on the order had been amended.
Corroborating, Gemade, (APC Benue North-East), said that the conduct of the election in the absence of the senators breached their constitutional privilege.
He said that the elections if not revisited would cause disunity in the senate, which had enjoyed unity in the past.
“It behooves you to ensure that equal participation must be given to all concerned.
“For this reason may I conclude that your ruling by the wave of hand on the issue of privilege raised earlier was too casual,” Gemade said.
The senate president, however, ruled that the senators were out of order.
Also speaking, Senator Danjuma Goje, (APC Gombe Central), said the senators were constitutionally supposed to be at the National Assembly for the inauguration.
“I want to put it on record that anybody who decided to go for whatever meeting is on his own,” he said.
The aggrieved senators, thereafter, walked out of the hallowed chambers in protest.
Meanwhile, Ekweremadu in a motion moved on the floor of the senate, urged that a letter be sent to Buhari, informing him of the election of presiding officers of the senate.
He also urged that a congratulatory message be sent to the speaker and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.
He also moved that “a message be sent to the African Union, Commonwealth Parliament, Inter-Parliamentary Union, ECOWAS Parliament, Pan-African Parliament and Association of Senate, Shoora and Equivalent Council in Africa and the Arab World.
“There is need to officially inform the bodies that a quorum of the Senate of the 8th National Assembly has assembled and ready to receive any communication,” he moved.
Earlier, 28 senators, including Sen. Ahmed Lawan, APC’s choice for senate presidency, Sen. George Akume, his running mate and Sen. Barnabas Gemade, were sworn in on Wednesday.
This brought the number of sworn in senators to 104 as the senate went into a closed door session but no explanation was given for the meeting.
The senate, thereafter, adjourned sitting till June 23.
