Against Senate Rules, Akpabio emerges Minority Leader

Former governor of Akwa Ibom State, and now Senator (PDP, Akwa Ibom northwest) Godswill Akpabio has emerged the minority leader in the Senate.

Against the standing rules of the senate, which exempts first-term senators from holding principal positions, he was nominated by the south-south caucus of the PDP in the senate.

‎Other minority principal officers are Emmanuel Bawcha, deputy minority leader; Philip Aduda; minority chief whip and Abiodun Olujimi, deputy minority chief whip.

Read also: Coast clear for Akpabio to emerge Senate Minority Leader

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

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

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

He clarified that the rule on ranking only stipulates that ranking senators should be considered first before other non-ranking senators, stressing that the constitution allows any senator to occupy any position.

“If the ranking senator cannot take the position for any reason, then the next level of ranking senators can be considered,” he said.

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

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