Senate rejigs standing c’ttees, LP lawmakers, Akpabio clash

 

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has named Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo) as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party was also named Chairperson, Senate Committee on Local Content.

Akpabio made the announcement on Tuesday during plenary while reshuffling the parliamentary cabinet.

He announced the new arrangement shortly after the composition of the leadership of the minority caucus of the Senate.

The rearrangement of the standing committees is coming three months after its initial composition.

In August, Akpabio announced the composition and leadership of the standing committees in the upper chamber with about 72 committees.

In the new development, Akpabio replaced committees of the sacked senators with other senators.

The Senate President named some of the new senators as chairmen and vice chairmen of standing committees.

Akpabio said that the rejigging of the committee leadership was for effectiveness.

Among others, Amos Yohanna (PDP, Adamawa North) was named Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs; Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) was named Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth and Community Engagement; Senator Patrick Ndubueze (APC-Imo) was named Chairman, Senate Committee on Steel Development; Senator Shuaibu Lau (PDP-Taraba) Chairman Committee on Tourism; Senator Binos Yaroe (PDP-Adamawa) Chairman Committee on State and Local Government Affairs.

Meanwhile, there was an uproar in the Senate on Tuesday following the announcement of two minority leaders by the Senate President.

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 courts nullified the election of Mwadkwon and ordered a rerun while Nwokocha was removed as Augustine Akobundu of the PDP was declared as the authentic winner of the February 25 election in the senatorial district.

Senators elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party had, last week, held an emergency crucial meeting on the replacement for the principal positions of Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip.

Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Bauchi), 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.

During Tuesday’s plenary, Akpabio announced the duo of Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) as Minority Leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as Minority Whip.

The Senate President said the new minority leaders had the majority support of their colleagues in the opposition.

He said 41 minority senators signed the document endorsing Moro as Minority Leader while 30 backed Ngwu for the Minority Whip seat.

But the announcement did not sit well with other parties in the minority caucus, especially the Labour Party.

Raising a point of order, Senator Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North), protested the absence of his party in the minority leadership, describing the arrangement as an injustice against other minority parties.

“How can the PDP take three minority leadership seats? This is unfair, unjust, and unacceptable,” he said.

Following the complaint, the Senate degenerated into a rowdy session with LP lawmakers rejecting their party’s exclusion in the minority leadership.

Amid the uproar, Senator Tony Nwoyi (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?” Nwoyi fumed.

Lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress made frantic efforts to pacify their colleagues from the 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 his interfering 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.

He, therefore, urged the opposition caucus to always put their house in order before forwarding any name to him.

He said, “All we need to produce a leader is a simple majority. What’s the reason for not agreeing with the position of the majority?

“Forty-one minority senators signed for Abah Moro and 30 signed for Osita Ngwu. They have the majority. It would be unfair for me not to announce them after getting a majority of support. My job is not to work with individual opinion but with the majority of position.”

Efforts by Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) to convince Akpabio to stay action on the seat of the Minority Whip failed as the Senate President ruled him out of order.

Aliero explained that the opposition caucus resolved that Moro should be the Minority Leader but had yet to decide on the position of the Minority Whip.

But Akpabio referred him to the Senate Standing Rule 52 (6), which says it shall be out of order for any senator to speak on any issue that has already been decided.

Akpabio, therefore, ruled Aliero out of order.