Saraki meets Buhari, says no crisis in Senate over Ndume’s removal

SENATE president, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, declaring afterwards that there was no crisis in the Senate.

Fielding questions from correspondents after the meeting, he said the replacement of Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume with Senator Ahmad Lawan as Senate Leader on Tuesday, had not caused any crisis in the upper chambers.
He was reacting to suggestions that the change may have opened up another round of leadership crisis similar to the one that greeted the election of the present National Assembly leadership.

He said: “There are no crises in the National Assembly. Things like this do happen and as you said, the institution is bigger than everybody and I am sure that he (Ndume) and everybody else will always work for the interest of the institution and for the interest of the country. Everything is calm, solid and fine.”

Asked to react to Ndume’s allegation that he was not aware of the plan to replace him, Saraki replied: “I am sure you have not read his statement today. He has made a different statement today.”

On whether they had not merely sacrificed the former Senate Leader, over the All Progressive Congress (APC) crisis, Saraki said: “Do I look like someone that does things like that?”
The Senate President had explained that he was at the Presidential Villa to see the president over ways to keep the government going.
He stated: “You know getting the government going, getting the National Assembly moving and as you know there is nothing more important to us now than the budget process and the work we need to do in those areas.”