BREAKING: Rowdy session as senators fight over seats in newly renovated chamber [WATCH VIDEO]
The resumption of plenary at the Senate was marred by a rowdy session as senators engaged in war of words over sitting arrangements at the chamber.
All Facts Newspaper reports that both chambers of the National Assembly were formally reopened on Tuesday after about two years of renovation work.
The plenary had started around 11am and immediately after the procession, Senate President GodsWill Akpabio read out announcements, specifically the names of the lawmakers who had celebrated their birthdays while the Senate was on break.
It was while the announcement was ongoing that Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) started to raise his voice at the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while he in return pointed his finger at Yau as if giving him a stern warning.
Immediately, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined his colleague Yau in shouting at Bamidele and the chairman, of Senate Services, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) who was in charge of the seating arrangements.
The fight was triggered by the seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber. Some ranking senators were said to have been angry at the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.
Akpabio eventually told them to approach the chair one after the other but Yau didn’t oblige him. The rowdy session lasted for about 20 minutes as senators bickered.
After the Senate President read his welcome-back speech, the Senate leader, moved that the Senate resolved into a closed-door session.
The Senate after that, at about 12: 05 pm resolved into an executive session.
Recall that during the renovation, lawmakers were using makeshift chambers in both wings of the National Assembly.