Daily Trust gathered that Senators Mwadkwon and Oyewumi were named as Minority Leader and deputy respectively without the input of the PDP, the major opposition party in the Senate.
The party had, on Monday, said it would communicate to Akpabio to stay action on filling the position of the Senate minority leadership, noting that consultation was still ongoing.
In a statement issued after the PDP NWC meeting by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Monday, the party said, “Th e nominations into the minority leadership positions in the Senate have not been concluded and that upon conclusion, the nominated list will be formally conveyed to him appropriately for necessary action.”
It was further learnt that 38 out of the 50 opposition senators voted for the minority leaders.
Senator Garba Musa Maidoki (PDP, Kebbi South) faulted the procedure through which the minority leaders emerged without the input of the party, saying the system should not be encouraged.
But the new Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, while defending the method adopted in selection of minority leadership, said the process was not entirely a political party affair “because it wasn’t a typical situation where you have one opposition party but rather six political parties
were involved.
“Fift y 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.
“Th irty eight of them by virtue of their signature took a decision as to who their leaders would 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."
managarciya
