The Nigerian Senate has refuted reports of a fight over seating arrangements during Tuesday’s plenary in the newly renovated chamber.
The Senate resumed plenary earlier in the day after a six-week recess in the newly renovated hallowed chamber, which opened over two years after the reconstruction began.
Following the resumption, some high-ranking senators engaged in a dramatic argument and expressed disappointment over the seating arrangements. Additionally, the plenary faced difficulties during the live transmission of proceedings as electronic facilities were yet to be fully installed.
Addressing reporters at a press briefing after plenary, the Senate Spokesman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated that seating arrangements have always been known to each senator in the Red Chamber. He described the reported confusion or fight among lawmakers as peddled falsehoods intended to mislead the public.
Adaramodu urged the general public to disregard the misinformation, calling those behind it “incorrigible wholesalers and retailers of falsehood.”
“The unfounded story of a phantom fight over seating arrangements is an unscrupulous attempt to drag the image of the Senate into unnecessary and needless controversy.
“There was no disagreement, rancor, or any verbal tirade regarding 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 with established legislative protocols,” he said.