Akpabio, Gbajabiamila emerge leaders in Senate, House of Reps

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate on Tuesday in Abuja, announced the appointment of Godswill Akpabio (PDP Akwa-Ibom North-West) as the minority leader in the Senate, just as Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives announced Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) as the Majority Leader in the House.

Following the announcement of Akpabio as minority leader, Bukola Saraki, president of the Senate, also announced the appointment of Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP Taraba South) as deputy minority leader.

Other appointees of the PDP in the Senate are Phillip Aduda (PDP FCT), minority whip and Biodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), deputy minority whip.

But, Kabir Marafa (APC Zamfara Central) immediately challenged the appointments, saying that they violated the Senate’s rules on ranking.

Marafa, who particularly challenged the appointment of Godswill Akpabio who is a first-time senator as minority leader, urged that the appointment should be declared null and void.

Citing Order 13(2) of the 2015 Senate Standing Rules, he argued that a ranking senator was supposed to have occupied the position given to Akpabio.

However, Ike Ekwerenmadu, deputy president of the Senate, insisted that the appointment of the officers was PDP’s affair and not the business of Marafa, who was an APC member.

At that point, Saraki ruled Marafa out of order, saying that the PDP senators were not complaining and as such, urged Marafa to “stop crying more than the bereaved.’’

In the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the speaker, announced Buba Jibrin as Deputy Majority Leader; Ado Doguwa as Chief Whip and Pally Iriase as Deputy Chief Whip.

For the opposition, Leo Ogor emerged as Minority Leader; Chukwuma Onyema as Deputy Minority Leader; Yakubu Garde as Minority Whip and Binta Bello as Deputy Minority Whip.

A few minutes after the announcement, the House was adjourned till another legislative day.

At a post-plenary briefing, Sani Zorro, chairman, Adhoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs noted that the crisis that transpired on the floor of the House “were merely transitory in nature.”

Zorro who described the outcome of the appointment of the principal of principal officers as ‘triumph of internal democracy in the House’, explained that the resolution was based on ‘patriotism, constitutionalism, reason and rationality’.

He also assured Nigerians that henceforth, the legislative activities of the House would be conducted peacefully and without rancour.

Zorro who applauded the intervention of the Buhari, noted that the President rose above board by not interfering in the activities of the House, nor  succumbing to the “dictates of the dictators” despite the politicking surrounding the choice of principal officers.

Zorro said the president played the role of a ‘game changer’ and stressed that  the 20 minute meeting held on Monday at the instance of  the president was a fatherly engagement, in which he insisted on constitutionality, thereby debunking insinuations that he was a  ‘dictator’.

Reacting to questions on the exclusion of the South-East caucus from the principal offices, Zorro said all parties had been adequately carried along and would be taken care of accordingly.

KEHINDE AKINTOLA