Senate suspends plenary for African Parliamentary Union meeting

The Senate suspended plenary yesterday to allow lawmakers attend the ongoing African Parliamentary Union (APU) meeting taking place in Abuja.

Senators had converged for plenary at about 11.am when Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who led the brief session, announced that there was need to suspend plenary for the APU event.

Shortly thereafter, senators adopted their votes proceedings for Wednesday.

Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) then moved a motion for the suspension of plenary, but when Ekweremadu put the motion to voice vote, majority of the senators present jokingly voted against it.

This made Lawan to appeal to his colleagues, saying the APU meeting was an important one as Senate President Bukola Saraki was the chairman of the session.

He said it would not speak well and of the Nigerian Parliament “if all the seats at the event are left empty while we host parliamentarians across the African continent.”

When Ekweremadu put the question for the second time, the senators voted in its favour. Consequently, they suspended the consideration of all items listed on the Order Paper and adjourned sitting to next Tuesday.

Our correspondent reports that the APU session is holding at the ECOWAS Parliament headquarters in Abuja.