Senators under the Labour Party have kicked against the emergence of Senator Abba Moro as the Minority Leader and Senator Osita Ngwu as the Minority Whip in the Senate on Tuesday.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, appointed Moro and Ngwu who are senators under the Peoples Democratic Party, but a rowdy session ensued following the protest.
The LP lawmakers said 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.
Recall that 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 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.
Last week, the PDP senators held a crucial meeting at the National Assembly Complex Abuja on the choice of replacements for the position of 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.
This led to the announcement of Moro and Ngwu as minority leader and minority whip by the Senate President at the plenary.
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.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party which has seven senators opposed the development, saying the position that was earlier ceded to the caucus has now been taken over by the PDP.
Citing a point of order, Senator Okechukwu Ezea (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,” Ezea said.
Following the point of order by Ezea, the chamber became rowdy with LP lawmakers angrily rejecting the exclusion of their party from the positions of principal officers.
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 tackled the Senate President.
The All Progressives Congress senators made frantic efforts to assuage their LP colleagues’ agitations, some of whom approached Akpabio for consultation.
After a few minutes that calm was restored, 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.