First Time Senator Akpabio Elected Minority Leader

Former Akwa Ibom state governor and senator
representing Akwa Ibom North-West, Godswill Akpabio,
has emerged Senate minority leader.

Senate President Bukola Saraki announced Akpabio as the
Senate minority leader on Tuesday July 28, shortly after the
Senate resumed from recess.
Akpabio had earlier been picked by the Peoples Democratic
Party caucus in the Senate at meeting held yesterday to
forge a common ground on the distribution of principal
officers that was allotted to the main opposition party in the
Senate.
According to Channels, Saraki also announced the name of
others principal officers which was contained in a letter
submitted by the PDP caucus in the Senate.

Deputy minority leader went to Senator Emmanuel Bwacha
while Senator Philip Aduda becomes Minority Whip and
Senator Bioudun Olujimi emerged Deputy Minority Whip.
When Senator Kabiru Marafa raised a point of order alerting
the Senate that the nomination of Senator Akpabio violated
the Senate rules on ranking.
He was promptly ruled out of order by the Senate president,
after the deputy Senate president explained that the
constitution allows every lawmaker, irrespective of ranking,
to aspire for the seats of principal officers.
However, senators at the plenary passed a vote of
confidence on the principal officers of the Senate and
warned that the police and security agents should not to be
used by any person to blackmail Senators and their spouses
Meanwhile, Akpabio emergence came as a surprised to
many senators as the standing rules of the senate exempts
first-term senators from holding principal position..