The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, recently announced a reshuffle within the Senate’s parliamentary cabinet, assigning new leadership roles to several senators and readjusting committee compositions.
During Tuesday’s plenary, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo) was appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, while Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party was named Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
This reorganization came three months after the initial establishment of about 72 standing committees in August, which Akpabio had previously announced.
In this latest development, Akpabio replaced committees chaired by dismissed senators with new appointees. Notably, he appointed various senators to chair and vice-chair standing committees:
– Senator Amos Yohanna (PDP, Adamawa North) as Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.
– Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth and Community Engagement.
– Senator Patrick Ndubueze (APC-Imo) as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Steel Development.
– Senator Shuaibu Lau (PDP-Taraba) as Chairman of the Committee on Tourism.
– Senator Binos Yaroe (PDP-Adamawa) as Chairman of the Committee on State and Local Government Affairs.
However, the Senate faced turmoil following the announcement of two minority leaders by Akpabio. The seats of Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip were vacated after the Court of Appeal nullified the former occupants’ elections.
During Tuesday’s session, Akpabio announced Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) as Minority Leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as Minority Whip, citing their majority support among opposition colleagues.
However, the Labour Party (LP) expressed dissatisfaction with their exclusion from the minority leadership, raising objections to the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the appointments.
Senator Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North) protested the arrangement, describing it as unjust and unfair for the PDP to claim three minority leadership positions.
The Senate descended into a chaotic session as LP lawmakers rejected the exclusion of their party. Senator Tony Nwoyi (LP, Anambra North) accused Akpabio of dictating minority leaders for the opposition parties, sparking uproar among lawmakers.
Akpabio defended his actions, clarifying that he merely announced names forwarded to him by the opposition caucus, emphasizing the importance of respecting the majority’s decision.
Efforts by Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi) to stall the announcement of the Minority Whip failed as Akpabio ruled him out of order, citing the Senate Standing Rule 52(6).
Despite the disruption, Akpabio urged the opposition caucus to resolve internal differences before presenting names to him, stressing the importance of abiding by majority decisions in leadership appointments.
