Buhari, Saraki, Dogara in ‘peace meeting’

President Muhammadu Buhari entered a meeting with Senate President Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, and selected lawmakers at the presidential villa in Abuja on Wednesday night.

A source at the presidency, who confirmed this to TheCable, refused to disclose the agenda of the meeting, but party insiders said there is a “real move” to heal the wounds caused by the election of the national assembly leaders against the wishes of many senior APC leaders.

The meeting, which started at 9:15pm, will also discuss the forthcoming ministerial screening, although the house of representatives is not involved in the process.

“Buhari is beginning to understand that if care is not taken, the crisis could get out of hand and those who want to sabotage his government may take advantage of it,” a party leader told TheCable shortly before the meeting started.

Correspondents were not allowed to cover the meeting, which is holding at the First Lady’s Conference Hall.

Senate majority leader, Ali Ndume; deputy majority leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah;minority leader, Godswill Akpabio; and minority whip, Philip Aduda, all attended, but Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president, was not in attendance.

From the house of representatives were the deputy speaker, Yusuf Lasun, and house leader, Femi Gbajabiamila.

There have been reports that the cold relationship between the president and Saraki could have effect on the ministerial screening and Buhari, who has been criticised for not having a cabinet after four months in power, would do all within his powers to make the process smooth.

On Tuesday, Ita Enang, senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters, disclosed that he had started reaching out to senators “in the interest of Nigerians”.

“Part of our job is to reach out to all the sections. And the past is gone, this is a new beginning. We are doing this in the interest of Nigerians,” he said.

Saraki, who is currently being prosecuted by the code of conduct tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets, emerged the president of the senate against the party’s choice of Ahmed Lawan.

The trial of Saraki could also feature at the meeting.

Last week, lawmakers of the lower chamber of the national assembly, urged Dogara to meet the president over Saraki’s travail.