Barr. Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, met with Senate President Godswill Akpabio for more than six hours on Thursday, ahead of the Senate’s return on July 4, 2023.
The marathon meeting was reportedly Wike’s attempt to prevent the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leadership from nominating Senate Minority leaders at the upper and lower legislative chambers of the National Assembly.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, the newly appointed Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel, Senator Jibrin Isah of Kogi East Senatorial District, and Senator Salihu Mustapha of Kwara Central Senatorial District.
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Late Thursday, news outlets learned that Wike insisted on nominating the Minority Leader of the 10th Senate from his faction rather than allowing the nomination to be handled by the PDP national organ.
Though he declined to speak with journalists after the meeting ended at about 6.30 p.m. and drove away in the convoy of the Senate President, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that the former governor explained why his faction should be allowed to produce Senate and House Minority leaders.
It couldn’t be confirmed if the Senate President agreed to Wike’s request, but we reminded ourselves that the selection of Majority and Minority Leaders of the upper and lower legislative chambers has usually been handled by the political party organ.
He said, “Wike was only serious in his faction producing the principal officers, but never revealed names of those he was targeting.
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“He is very serious about getting the required support from the leadership of the National Assembly, as well as membership of the other minority political parties in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.”
Meanwhile, the APC has 59 Senators, the PDP has 36, the Labour Party has 8, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has 2, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has 2, the APGA has 1, and the YPP has 1.
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