Abuja, Nigeria – Mediaage NG News – There was a rowdy session Tuesday, as senators under the Labour Party opposed the emergence of Senators Abba Moro and Osita Ngwu as Minority Leader and Minority respectively.
Both are Senators represent the opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The LP lawmakers say out of the four minority positions for Principal Officers, the Peoples PDP has occupied three, while the remaining position will go to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Aside from Moro and Ngwu representing Benue South and Enugu West respectively, the Deputy Minority Leader, Oyewunmi Olarere representing Osun West is also of the PDP.
Citing a point of order, Senator Okechukwu Ezea of LP – Enugu North, protested the absence of his party in the minority leadership, insisting that the arrangement was an injustice against other minority parties.
“How can the PDP take three minority leadership seats? This is unfair, unjust and unacceptable. How can you be choosing minority leaders for us? Are we your slaves?” Nwoye asked the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio said the new minority leaders had the majority support of their colleagues in the opposition.
He said 41 minority senators signed the document endorsing Abba Moro as minority leader, while 30 backed Ngwu for the minority whip seat.
“I only announced the names forwarded to me by the opposition caucus. It will be unfair not to respect the voice of the majority, he said.
The seats of the Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip became vacant after the Court of Appeal sacked former occupants, Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon of the PDP, lateau North and Darlington Nwokocha of LP, Abia Central respectively.
The court nullified the election of Mwadkwon and ordered a rerun, while Nwokocha was replaced by Senator Augustine Akobundu of the PDP by the Appeal Court.