CRISIS rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC over the selection of principal officers for the Senate, Tuesday deepened as the meeting of the caucus members of the party in the upper chambers ended in deadlock.

At the meeting of the APC senators to address the problem, some senators engaged in physical combat thereby bringing the meeting to an abrupt end, leaving the wounds further opened.

At resumed plenary, Senate President Bukola Saraki had after adjournment announced that a meeting of the APC caucus was fixed for 2:00pm.

According to a source, the meeting which was the first time the two camps (Saraki and Lawan ) would agreed to a meeting after Saraki edge out Ahmad Lawan in the race for the Senate presidency. The meeting was held behind close door in meeting room 3: 01 and had about 40 APC Senators in attendance.

At the meeting, Senator Danjuma Goje, Gombe Central led the group loyal to Saraki on one side, while Senator Barnabas Gemade, Benue North East led the group loyal to Lawan.

Declaring open the meeting, Saraki said, ” I appeal to you all to let us do those things that will unite us than to those that will divide us. For me, I am ready and desirous, as colleagues to work with all of you in order to provide that focused leadership in the Senate and National Assembly as an institution.

A source told our reporter that the position of Saraki’s group was that candidates must emerge through an electoral process, the four favoured zonal caucuses should meet, conduct elections at zonal levels, then communicate winners of such elections to the Senate President and that once the zonal caucuses conclude their elections by the end of Tuesday, the Senate President would announce those to fill the posts at Wednesday plenary.

The Unity Forum which supported Lawan were opposed to it as they insisted that the names nominated by the APC leadership to take the positions be adhered to.

There was a melodrama when Senator Kabir Marafa, Zamfara Central, pushed and attacked Senator Tayo Alasoadura, Ondo Central for daring to challenge the decision of the party.

Alasoadura was saved by the timely intervention of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara) who held Marafa firmly and prevented him from hitting at his target. Other Senators also joined in saving the ugly situation even as rains of abusive words intensified from all angles in different languages.