Tension engulfed the Senate on Tuesday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the selection of two minority leaders, prompting an outburst from lawmakers. The positions of Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip had become vacant following the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of the former occupants, Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North), and Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central), respectively.
The court nullified Mwadkwon’s election, mandating a rerun, while Nwokocha was ousted, and Augustine Akobundu of the PDP was declared the rightful winner of the February 25 election in the senatorial district.
Last week, PDP senators held an emergency meeting to determine replacements for the key positions. Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Bauchi) revealed that the opposition lawmakers had chosen the North Central geo-political zone to produce the Minority Leader.
During Tuesday’s plenary, Akpabio announced Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) as minority leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as minority whip. He claimed that the new minority leaders had the majority support of their colleagues in the opposition, with 41 minority senators endorsing Moro and 30 supporting Ngwu for the minority whip seat.
However, the announcement sparked discontent, especially from the Labour Party, leading to a point of order raised by Senator Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North). Ezea protested the exclusion of his party in the minority leadership, denouncing the arrangement as unjust.
“How can the PDP take three minority leadership seats? This is unfair, unjust, and unacceptable,” he protested.
The Senate descended into a rowdy session, with LP lawmakers rejecting their party’s exclusion in the minority leadership. Senator Tony Nwoyi (LP, Anambra North) accused Akpabio of arbitrarily selecting minority leaders for the opposition parties, questioning the Senate President’s authority in making such decisions.
“How can you be choosing minority leaders for us? Are we your slaves?” Nwoyi confronted Akpabio.
Efforts were made by lawmakers from the ruling party to pacify their LP colleagues, who approached Akpabio for consultation. After approximately 15 minutes of chaos, the Senate President addressed the opposition lawmakers, asserting that he merely announced the names provided by the opposition caucus. He emphasized the importance of respecting the majority’s decision and urged the opposition caucus to organize their internal affairs before presenting names for consideration.
Akpabio justified his action, stating, “All we need to produce a leader is a simple majority. What’s the reason for not agreeing with the position of the majority?” Despite attempts by Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) to persuade Akpabio to delay action on the minority whip’s seat, the Senate President ruled him out of order, citing Senate Standing Rule 52(6), which prohibits senators from speaking on resolved issues.