Uproar as Akpabio announces new Senate minority leaders

There was uproar in the Senate on Tuesday as the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio announced new leaders in the minority caucus.

The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio named Senator Abba Moro (PDP Benue South) as the new Minority Leader and Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP Enugu West) as the Minority Whip.

They replaced the court sacked Senators Simon Mwadkwon, who was formerly representing Plateau North and Darlington Nwokocha, who represented Abia Central, respectively on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

While Mwadkwon, former Minority Leader is a PDP member; Nwokocha of the Labour Party, LP was the Minority Whip.

Immediately after the Senate President announced the new Minority leaders, there was uproar on the floor of the Red Chamber caused by some LP senators, who opposed the announcement.

The aggrieved senators complained that the nomination was unfair to other political parties comprising the minority in the senate.

They rejected the nominations and demanded that the nomination should be canceled. The minority caucus has a total of 49 senators out of the 109 senators at the upper chamber.

The PDP still maintained a majority of members in the minority caucus with 37 senators.

Labour Party has seven senators, SDP and NNPP has two senators each while APGA has one senator.

The drama started when Senator

Okechukwu Ezea (LP Enugu North) who raised a point of order against the nomination queried the rationale behind two members of the PDP occupying the positions.

He said it is unfair, unjust and unacceptable for the PDP to occupy two positions while other members of the minority caucus have nothing.

“There is no way the PDP will take three seats and the LP and other minority parties will not have anything. It is unfair, unjust and unacceptable,” he said.

Also, Senator Tony Nwoye (LP Anambra North) rejected nomination was heard screaming “are we your slaves, how can you be choosing minority leader for us?”

Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP Kebbi Central) urged the Senate to suspend nomination of the Minority Whip because the minority caucus is yet to decide on the nomination.

The former governor confirmed that the caucus had unanimously endorsed Senator Moro for the position of the Minority Leader, requesting that the Senate should suspend nomination of the Minority Whip until the caucus agreed on the nomination.

But the Senate President ruled the aggrieved senators out of order on the ground that a majority of the minority senators endorsed the nominations.

At the end, Senator Akpabio approved the nominations of Senators Moro and Ngwu pending when the minority caucus settled their differences.