Senate witnessed another rowdy session, yesterday, following announcement of two minority leaders by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip seats became vacant after the Court of Appeal sacked the former occupants, Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North) and Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central).

The appellate court nullified the election of Mwadkwon and ordered a rerun while Nwokocha was removed, and Augustine Akobundu of the PDP declared as authentic winner of the February 25 election in the senatorial district.

Last week, PDP senators held a meeting at the National Assembly complex Abuja, preparatory to replacements for the vacant positions.

Garba Maidoki (PDP, Bauchi), who briefed journalists after the closed-door meeting, had said the opposition lawmakers settled for the North Central geopolitical zone to produce the Minority Leader.

During yesterday’s plenary, however, Akpabio announced the duo of Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) as Minority Leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as Minority Whip.

The Senate President said the new leaders had the support of the majority of their colleagues in the opposition. He said 41 minority senators signed the document endorsing Moro as Minority Leader while 30 backed Ngwu for minority whip seat.

But the announcement did not go down well with other parties in the minority caucus, especially the Labour Party.

The PDP maintains majority in the opposition with over 30 senators while Labour Party has seven. SDP and NNPP have two senators each, and APGA one. With the latest announcement, the PDP has taken three out of the four principal positions reserved for minority parties.

Raising a point of order, Okechukwu Ezea (LP, Enugu North) protested the absence of his party in the minority leadership, describing the arrangement as injustice against other minority parties.

He said: “At the minority meeting which we just came out of, Abba Moro was endorsed but for the position of minority whip, we agreed to schedule another meeting because the leadership has to be shared equitably. There is no way we will have four leadership seats for the minority in this Senate and the PDP will take three of the seats.

“The next party is Labour with seven senators and we got nothing. That is unfair, that is unjust, that is unacceptable and is against the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution. How can the PDP take three minority leadership seats? This is unfair, unjust and unacceptable.”

Ruling on the point of order, Akpabio said: “That is the PDP. If you were talking about the APC, I am sure they would have been fair and considerate. I am in total sympathy with the Labour Party. I am in total sympathy with the minority party, SDP and others.”

The Senate, thereafter, degenerated into a rowdy session, with LP lawmakers rejecting exclusion of their party in the minority leadership.

Amid the uproar, Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) accused Akpabio of picking minority leaders for the opposition parties.

“How can you be choosing minority leaders for us? Are we your slaves?” Nwoye asked the Senate President.

Lawmakers from the ruling party made frantic efforts to pacify their colleagues from LP, some of whom approached Akpabio for consultation.

After about 15 minutes of rowdy session, the Senate President addressed the opposition lawmakers and dismissed claims of his interference in the affairs of the opposition.

Akpabio said he only announced the names forwarded to him by the opposition caucus, and that it would be unfair not to respect the voice of the majority.

He, therefore, urged the opposition caucus to always put its house in order before forwarding any name to him.