21st November, 2023
There was uproar in the Senate on Tuesday after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio announced Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the new Senate Minority Leader.
He also announced Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as minority whip. The announcement drew the anger of the Labour Party caucus in the upper chamber as they accused Akpabio of not carrying them along.
According to the Senate President, 41 minority senators signed the document endorsing Moro as minority leader while 30 backed Ngwu for the minority whip seat.
They contended that the PDP should not have taken all the minority positions, as they were also entitled to such.
Some of the Labour Party senators hauled verbal assault at Akpabio, with some ready to engage in physical assault with him for denying them one of the minority seats.
Senator Okechukwu Ezea 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 was quoted by The Punch.
Another LP Senator, Tony Nwoyi, Anambra North, accused Akpabio of picking minority leaders for the opposition parties.
In his defence, Akpabio said he only announced the names given to him by the minority senators, of which the PDP had the majority.
According to him, all that was needed to produce a leader is a simple majority, saying that “41 minority senators signed for Abah Moro and 30 signed for Osita Ngwu. They have the majority.
“It will 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 positions,” he said.