By Nathaniel Zacchaeus and David Lawani, Abuja
The Senate yesterday justified why it did not carry the political parties along in the appointment of principal officers for the 10th Senate.
The red chamber, through the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said it relied on the communication from the majority and minority caucuses of the Senate to announce the appointments.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, yesterday named Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Ekiti Central as the Senate Leader for the 10th National Assembly.
He also announced Senator Simon Mwadkwon, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member representing Plateau North Senatorial District as the Minority Leader.
Akpabio announced after he read two official communications from both the majority and minority caucuses of the red chamber.
Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, named Prof Julius Ihonvbere (APC-Edo) as the Majority Leader, while Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) emerged as the Minority Leader.
*Senate justifies why it picked principal officers without party anointing
The Senate President explained that the announcement of the principal officers was made based on the consensus and unanimous position of the seven political parties in the 10th Senate.
The political parties included APC, PDP, Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young People’s Party (YPP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Akpabio also announced Senator Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as the Deputy Majority Leader; Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip; and Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.
The Senate immediately dissolved into a closed session after Akpabio read out the names of the principal officers for the majority caucus.
At the resumption of plenary, the Senate President named Mwadkwon, as the Minority Leader.
Akpabio said, “The majority of members of the Senate Minority Caucus of the Senate made up of seven political parties have come up with their leadership.
“They are, Senator Simon Mwadkwon as the Minority Leader; Senator Lere Oyewumi (PDP, Osun West) Deputy Minority Leader; Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central) as the Minority Whip; Senator Rufai Hanga (NNPP, Kano Central), as the Deputy Minority Whip.
Bamidele clarified that no single political party has the sole right to determine the minority leadership positions in the 10th Senate because six of them have elected members.
He explained who said the emergence of the principal officers was not rancorous, and maintained that necessary stakeholders came together to fill the minority leadership positions.
Bamidele said, “The new leadership has emerged for the 10th senate and all I can assure you on behalf of myself and my dear colleagues is that we see it as an assignment. It is an assignment that we take very seriously.
“By the grace of God, we will be able to make a difference that will be positive and that will be worth the effort of all of you that worked with us in ensuring that the two presiding officers emerged in a manner that was not rancorous, in a manner that was not only democratic but transparent.
“But of course, the emergence of the remaining principal officers of the 10th Senate was not an issue that was meant to be decided on the floor but rather it was an issue which on the one hand as related to the APC needed to be decided among the critical stakeholders of the party.
“This led to the emergence of the officers. On the other hand, concerning the minority parties, again it wasn’t entirely a party affair. Because it wasn’t a typical situation where you have one opposition party but rather six political parties involved.
“Fifty of our colleagues were involved so rather than it being a decision to be taken at the secretariat of political parties it was more of a decision taken by members who were elected on the platform of the six minority parties and 38 of them under their signature decided as to who their leaders will be and of course this was also communicated to their respective political parties and as democrats all the presiding officers did was to follow suit because more than a single majority had decided.
“It had been a no victor no vanquish situation. We are happy eventually a leadership has emerged for the 10th senate
“For us, the next task is to ensure we hit the ground running so that from tomorrow we can take steps that will show that we have a clear understanding of what is to be done, the first task ahead of us is to constitute special committees of the 10th Senate. Our rules make provision for six special committees.
“Before long, during July we will have all the committees special and standing committees properly constituted so that every senator can get busy based on their professional background and can properly fit into the sector where they can add value.
“We are ready to attempt correspondence from the executive. Through a committee of the whole of the house commence with the confirmation hearing of the service chiefs and some other appointees who had been named by the president.”
Bamidele explained that a special panel of the Senate and the selection committee would soon be constituted to perfect the arrangements for the emergence of the standing committees of the red chamber.
He also said the red chamber would in the next two weeks, screen for confirmation, of the appointment of the service chiefs and other top appointments recently made by President Bola Tinubu.
Also during plenary, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas unveiled the duo and other principal officers.
Ihonvbere represents the Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State, while Chinda is representing Ohio/Akpor Federal Constituency in Rivers.
Other principal officers from the majority caucus named include Rep. Abdullahi Halims (APC-Kogi) as Deputy Majority Leader; Usman Kumo (APC-Gombe) as the Chief Whip, while Adewumi Onanuga (APC-Ogun) was named the Deputy Majority Whip.
From the minority party, Rep. Ali Isa (PDP-Gombe) emerged as the minority whip; Ali Madaki (NNPP-Kano), the deputy minority leader, and George Ozodinobi (LP-Anambra), deputy minority whip.
Speaking on the formation of committees, Abbas said the constitution of the committees was ongoing, adding that it would cut across party affiliation.
He said the House would be guided by the legislative capacity and experience of members in the choice of who becomes the chairmen of committees.
Abbas further said the quality of the legislative experience would be brought to bear on legislative duties.
Recall that the main opposition party, the PDP had on Monday in a statement, accused the ruling party, APC, of trying to ‘meddle’ in its party selection process for offices.
*APC, PDP disown NASS principal officers
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the APC and PDP have disowned the principal officers of the Senate and House of Representatives announced by Akpabio and Abbas.
The Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling APC disowned the majority leadership positions announced by the leadership of the National Assembly, saying the party has not officially been communicated to the presiding officers.
APC National Chairman, Adamu, made the declaration yesterday at a meeting with governors of the party.
He said, “You will get an update on the National Election in the national assembly sharing of powers particularly the leadership of the chambers.
“The election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The election of the speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined and announced and their responsibilities.
“The remaining offices will be determined of the two chambers is yet to be done. I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his Deputy. The following day which was Sunday, I received a visit from the Speaker and his Deputy Speaker coming to me for Sallah’s homage.
“But, I am just hearing as a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.
“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practices, it is not our intention to break away with traditions. So whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.
“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus, and for quite a time, there has been no caucus in place. The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC. And we will be discussing that with you as governors, you know your states more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.”
Also, the PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, accused APC of making ‘subterranean moves, to hijack the nomination process’, but added that consultations were still ongoing to nominate members for the minority leadership positions in the Senate.
He said the PDP NWC met with members of the party’s senate caucus as a part of the ongoing consultations.
Ologunagba said, “At the meeting, the importance of a virile and stable opposition” in the National Assembly was emphasised.”
He said the caucus assured that it would play an important role in the defence of democracy and the interest and well-being of Nigerians.
“The meeting condemned in its entirety the alleged subterranean moves by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to meddle with the affairs of the minority with regards to the emergence of the minority leadership which is an exclusive reserve of the minority caucus as expressly stipulated by constitutional provisions and standing rules of the senate,” the statement read.
“The PDP and the senators continue with consultations on the emergence of the minority leader in the Senate and are resolved to collectively present a unified leadership after due and conclusive considerations. Accordingly, the PDP will continue to provide the necessary leadership in this regard.”
Ologunagba said the PDP NWC was mandated to communicate to Senate President Godswill Akpabio that the nominations into the minority leadership positions have not been concluded.
Ologunagba said the party commended members in the senate for their unity, steadfastness, loyalty, and commitment towards the sustenance and deepening of democracy in our country.
Similarly, the PDP member representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garuba Musa Maidoki, has said he was not part of the process that led to the emergence of the Senate minority principal officers.
Maidoki told journalists after the announcement of the principal officers that the selection process was not transparent.
He said, “I cannot imagine as a senator of a Federal Republic of Nigeria on a minority party and a minority leader has emerged without even sending me a message that I am seeking for your vote or concurrence, support to be a minority leader, what type of party are we having in PDP?
“We have 36 out of the 50 senators that are in the PDP caucus and then we cannot even come together and agree who should lead us.
“I have nothing against those who emerged, if 38 senators out of 50 have signed as it is said and I believe they did, I just believed from an outsider, not a politician that this is not a system that must be encouraged.
“This is because if we must lead this country, we must be transparent to each other, I might not vote for you but I should be able to have a knowledge that you’re vying for something and you should be able to know that even if I oppose you will win but to come at the Senate and just hear that some people have sat down and they have agreed that the six senators have been nominated for minority leadership.
“I am not against now that they have emerged, we are willing to join forces because there is no time to fight now. I never knew they were signing, nobody called me, and nobody informed me even an SMS. We have a minority caucus where we have been meeting regularly, the issue was never brought up.”
