The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Wednesday finally met with the National Working Committee (NWC) of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the Chairmanship of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, after the leadership’s controversial emergence, with him as Senate President, 18 months ago.
Senator Bukola Saraki who said at the end of the meeting that both parties had told themselves the hard truths with the hopes of restarting a harmonious working relationship between the party and the Senate leadership even as the National Chairman was optimistic that the meeting will address the “gleeches” that was the case before now.
Saraki who arrived the national secretariat of the party in Abuja at about 2:05pm was accompanied on the visit by the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, his deputy Bala Ibn Na’Allah and the Chief Whip, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye according to the Leadership Newspaper.
The meeting which started at about 2:21pm last only seven minutes before journalists were excused, ending two and a half hours after. Earlier, Chief Odigie-Oyegun said the meeting became necessary in order “to discuss house-keeping issues”.
He said though the meeting was late in coming, it was better late than never as it would afford the two sides the opportunity of discussing issues that had hi hitherto affected smooth relationship between the party and the Senate.
The chairman added that the seeming gap in communication between the party and her representatives in government was more as a result of the nature of the amalgamating parties who all came to the merger with their various issues.
While briefing journalists after the meeting, Saraki said: “First of all formally we both bored our minds. We told ourselves hard truths but at the end of the day we accepted that certain things were not done but we accepted to move forward, work closely with the party for the interest of building the party because of Nigerians that believe in us, we need to work closely together and we are hopeful that a new chapter is being opened today and we are committed on the hopes and aspirations we gave Nigerians who came out to vote a year and half ago”
Admitting that there were still rough edges to be smoothened, Oyegun said: “We are determined and we concluded that we must work closely together to address some of the glitches that still exist, the relationship between the National Assembly and the executive. We want to assures the general public that they will see results that will lift their spirit in the next few weeks and months to follow.
When asked whether the meeting was an end to the frosty relationship between the party and the senate leadership as it presently is constituted, Oyegun said: “It means that an end is in sight. We have started the process, but there are issues to be resolved and there is no question at all that we are a family and when things have gone wrong, we accept that things have gone wrong and we are determined to right those wrongs”
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