Senate S/East PDP Caucus wants Ekwunife to replace Abaribe as Minority Leader

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Senate from the South-East has urged Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, to propose Uche Ekwunife, a lawmaker from Anambra Central, as the Senate’ minority leader.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South, recently resigned from the PDP and resigned from his position as minority leader.

After withdrawing from the PDP governorship primary in Abia, Abaribe left the party, calling the process a “charade.”

Serving senators from the south-east, Chimaroke Nnamani, Theodore Orji, Sam Egwu, Ike Ekweremadu, Obinna Ogba, Oyenwuchi Francis, Michael Nnachi, and Chukwuka Utazi, wrote a letter on June 1 urging Ekwunife to succeed Abaribe.

“Please accept the warm compliments from senators of the south-east zone as we congratulate you on the successful and well-organised primaries and national convention of our great party,” the letter reads.

Read also :Delegate shares money from PDP convention to community, orphanages

“Following the resignation of our senate minority leader, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia) from the PDP last week, we the underlisted PDP Senators of the south-east zone hereby nominate Distinguished Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife as a replacement for Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe as the position was zoned to the South East.

“Sir, recall that in February 2022, following the defection of former Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Tarabe South), from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC), the North East minority caucus met immediately and nominated Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau (Taraba North) from the same zone as the new Deputy Minority Leader.

“Note also, when Senator Sahabi Ya’u (Zamfara North) on July 21, 2021, defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ibrahim Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto South) was immediately nominated to replace him as the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate.

“Your Excellency, we humbly request that you kindly forward the name of distinguished Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the senate minority leader.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now