Senators under the Labour Party have kicked against the emergence of Senator Abba Moro as the Minority Leader and Senator Osita Ngwu as the Minority Whip in the Senate on Tuesday.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, appointed Moro and Ngwu who are senators under the Peoples Democratic Party. The appointments immediately sparked outrage among members of the minority caucus, particularly the Labour Party (LP) senators, questioning Akpabio’s authority to make such decisions without their assent.
Both Moro and Ngwu, both belonging to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), replaced Simon Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North) and Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central), who were recently dismissed from their positions by a court ruling.
LP Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North) openly opposed Akpabio’s decision, “Are we your slaves? Why will the Senate president be picking leaders for us?” Nwoye directed his frustration towards the presiding officer”, he said.
In response, Akpabio clarified that the appointments were made based on the signatures of senators who had agreed to the decision. He stated that he was acting in compliance with the information provided him and could not make any changes without due process.
“The Senate president can only work with what is before me. You have Senator Abaribe and Aliero, their names are not here,” Akpabio stated.
Expressing sympathy for the minority parties in the Senate, Akpabio enjoined them to put their house in order, insisting that his actions were guided by the information presented to him.
