There was drama in the Senate on Tuesday, November 21, following the announcement of Senator Abba Moro (PDP – Benue South) as Minority Leader and Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP – Enugu West) as Minority Whip by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio said: “Abba Moro is now the Minority Leader of the Senate and this is the resolution of the minority in favour of Senator Abba Moro, 41 senators signed.
“I also have another document sent by the minority, 30 of them have also signed nominating Senator Osita Ngwu as Senate Minority Whip.”
Senator Moro and Ngwu both belong to the PDP. The Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Oyewunmi Olarere is a member of the PDP.
The seats of the Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip became vacant after the Court of Appeal sacked the former occupants, Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP – Plateau North) and Darlington Nwokocha (LP -Abia Central) respectively.
The appellate court had nullified the election of Mwadkwon and ordered a rerun while Nwokocha was sacked and replaced by Senator Augustine Akobundu of the PDP by the Appeal Court.
The PDP senators had, last week, held a crucial meeting at the National Assembly Complex Abuja on the choice of replacements for the vacant positions of principal officers of Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip.
Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South), who briefed journalists after the closed-door meeting, had said the opposition lawmakers settled for the North Central geo-political zone to produce the Minority Leader.
However, during plenary, the Labour Party (LP) Senators kicked against the appointments saying out of the four minority positions for Principal Officers, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now occupies three with the remaining position being occupied by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Raising a point of order, Senator Ezea Okechukwu (LP – Enugu North) said: “At the minority meeting from which we just came out of, Abba Moro was endorsed but on the position of Minority Whip, we agreed to schedule another meeting because the leadership has to be shared equitably.
“There is no way we will have four leadership seats for the minority in this Senate and the PDP will take three of the seats.
“The next party is the Labour Party with seven senators and we get nothing, that is unfair, that is unjust, that is unacceptable and it is against the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution.”
Amid the uproar, Senator Tony Nwoye (LP – Anambra North) accused Akpabio of picking minority leaders for the opposition parties.
“How can you be choosing minority leaders for us? Are we your slaves?” Nwoye queried the Senate President.
Lawmakers from the ruling party made frantic efforts to pacify their colleagues from LP, some of whom approached Akpabio for consultation.
After about 15 minutes of rowdy session, the Senate President addressed the opposition lawmakers and dismissed the claim of interference in the affairs of the opposition.
Akpabio said he only announced the names forwarded to him by the opposition caucus and that it would be unfair not to respect the voice of the majority.
understand that my job here is not to take individual opinions or to work with what some want but to work on the basis of truth.
“So this issue for Minority Leader or Minority Whip is for now rested until you produce another paper.”
Speaking to reporters about the drama at plenary, the new Minority Leader, Abba Moro, pledged to reconcile all the aggrieved lawmakers with a view to providing strong opposition to move the country forward.
He said: “I will endeavour to bring all our people together to achieve oneness.
“We will provide viable opposition that would make government to provide good governance where Nigerians would enjoy social amenities.”
