Ahead of inauguration of 10th National Assembly, only senators elect would be permitted to enter the hall during the inauguration and election of new principal officers.
The confirmation was made on Tuesday from a reliable source at National Assembly
The reason according to the source is the unavailability of enough space to contain invited guests
“The National Assembly is under renovation and the Senators have been managing a temporary hall for sittings. The hall has been able to accommodate 109 Senators with no extra space for very important Personalities ( VIPs).
“In the past, we use to accommodate party leaders and guests of the Senators-elect but this time around, no visitor will be allowed inside the chambers. All interested guests and visitors can watch the proceedings from the live broadcast. “ the source said
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to issue proclamation letters for the inauguration of the parliament for June 13 in line with the 1999 Constitution.
The three contenders for the Senate presidency are a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu and a former former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio
Tinubu and the APC leadership had picked Akpabio and Senator Jibrin Barau (Kano North) as preferred candidates for Senate president and deputy, respectively.
But the choice rattled other contenders for the plum job, including Abdulaziz Yari, Senate Chief Whip; Orji Uzor Kalu; Niger -East Senator-elect , Sani Musa and Imo-West senator-elect, Osita Izunaso.
Yari, Kalu, Musa and Izunaso, after protesting the zoning formula without the desired result, insisted on going ahead to contest the seat against the party’s choice