By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—SENATOR Kabiru Marafa, yesterday, dismissed the Senate Reconciliation Committee set up seven weeks ago by the Senate leadership to reconcile aggrieved senators and possibly settle all the problems confronting the Red Chamber, following the emergence of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.

Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central Senatorial zone in the National Assembly, spoke to Vanguard, in Abuja, accusing the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of instigating the existing problems in the Senate through his actions. He dismissed the committee, saying by its composition, comprising both senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, it was not meant to achieve any meaningful peace.

To this end, he vowed that he would see to the end of the case he and other aggrieved senators instituted against the Senate leadership in court. Marafa said the case could only be withdrawn when the Senate President realised his mistakes and corrected them. The Senate had instituted a committee, headed by Senator James Manager, PDP, Delta South, to resolve all the lingering crises confronting it and submit report within one week.

The committee was mandated to persuade senators with cases in courts against the Senate to withdraw them, a task the committee finds difficult, even as eight weeks had passed. But Senator Marafa said the reconciliation was in the imagination of the Senate President, who he said lacked the power to set it, given that he had not resolved the contentions that led to the litigations.

He said:    ‘’Let me correct one impression, I am a person that likes to say things the way they are. That committee, as far as I am concerned, with due respect, was not put place to address the problems of the Senate. ‘’There was a committee before it that was formed by some concerned leaders in the Senate and they felt it was time for the APC to come together in the Senate because the division has been in the APC in the Senate.

“They now said, ok, let us come together, look at our problems and unite for the common good of the people that voted for us. I think that was an excellent or it was the most desired committee. “A committee of five senators from both the Unity Forum and the Like Minds to look into this issue causing problems among APC senators in the Senate was formed.

“ But somewhere along the line, some people scuttled it because of their own personal interest and it never saw the light of the day. It ended there. “Shortly after, this other committee was announced. From the time it was announced, I knew that it would not go anywhere because the reasons for forming it, to me were not in the best interest of the peace of the Senate.

‘’It was like they tied the hands of the committee and said ‘go and perform.’ That is why you are saying that the committee was given a one-week mandate to conclude its report and till now, it has not been able to do anything much.

“ The leadership, the formation, the people that made the committee are all respectable senators but the intention of setting it was not aimed at achieving peace, because you can’t achieve peace in that kind of environment. “The Senate is being populated by at least two groups-the ruling party and the opposition. Now, when you say you are bringing one committee to look at the whole Senate when the problem is not for the whole Senate, how do you solve the problem?

“The problem is    within the APC, then you now bring PDP and everybody into it and say you want to solve problem, which problem are you solving? You won’t succeed. “The first committee would have been the committee to solve the problems of the Senate because the APC is the one that has faction within itself.

“So, it is that aspect that to me, needs to be looked into. And when one looks at the way things happened in the first committee, you would weep for this country, because people that others thought were leaders that can solve even national problems stooped too low to become so parochial and self-centered not to allow some certain things to happen.

“And the worst thing was that they were talking from both sides of their mouths . If they are in this place, the speak one kind of language and if they go to another place, they also speak another kind of language . ‘’I don’t think that is healthy and I believe it won’t take anybody anywhere and I don’t see how progress can be made.”

Responding to a question on why he and other aggrieved senators who have cases in court against the Senate leadership have refused to withdraw them in line with the appeal of the Senate leadership, Marafa said: “It is not about withdrawal of case, you cannot approach a problem without its cause.  What caused the court case, has it been addressed? What caused the court case, is it real or imaginary, is it false? “

In apparent reference to Saraki, Marafa said:”We said you inaugurated this place without observing our rules, we said this was unconstitutional. Then, you went ahead to commit more and more and more instead of correcting it! “ Now, you just sat down one day and said ‘ I have set a committee that will look into these things and you would go and withdraw case. Have you solve the problems?

“You need to solve the problem that made me to go to court. If you look at the problems and solve them, then I   can approach the court for withdrawal of the case I have pending there, and you have not,why should I?

“I in a nutshell, what I am saying here is that the person who told you he is seeking for peace is not ready for it and you can’t achieve anything when you don’t want that thing. “