Senate dismisses fighting over seats’ allocation

From Fred Itua, Abuja

The Senate has said that rumours making the rounds that there was a disagreement and rancor over the seating arrangements in the upper legislative chamber are untrue.

The purported rancor, it added, exists only in the minds of the purveyors and sponsors of the news.

A statement by the Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu reads: “There was no disagreement, rancor or any verbal tirade in respect of the seating arrangements in the Senate chamber. The Senate resumes today in the newly renovated chamber and the seating positions of Senators were done in accordance to the established Legislative protocols.

“It’s pertinent to note that rankings of Senators and leadership positions are considered when allocating seats to Senators. All legislators all over the world know and accept this tradition.

“The new arrangements in the chamber today did not depart from this. Every Senator is thus considered based on this Legislative tradition, hence there couldn’t have been any confusion over seating arrangements as being mischievously peddled.

“Senators have been observing this seating protocols, even in the temporary chamber, hence the unfounded story of a phantom fight over seating arrangements is an unscrupulous attempt to drag the image of the Senate into an unnecessary and needless controversy.”

He called on the general public to “disregard this odious song of sorrow from these incorrigible wholesalers and retailers of falsehood.