BREAKING: Wike, Tambuwal Lose Out As Senate President Akpabio Names Minority Leaders
- Former governors, Nyesom Wike and Aminu Tambuwal, renewed their hostilities over the minority leadership positions in the National Assembly
- To their greatest surprise, on Tuesday, July 4, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the name of the new leaders of the minority caucus, and both PDP chieftains lost out
- Akpabio named Senator Simon Mwadkon as the Senate minority leader after he defeated Tambuwal despite moves to outsmart his political rival, Wike
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Senator Simon Mwadkon, on Tuesday, July 4, emerged as the Senate minority leader, after defeating Senator Aminu Tambuwal despite spirited attempts to outsmart his political rival, Nyesom Wike, former Rivers state governor.
Following Mwadkon's emergence, Wike and Tambuwal, who were good friends turned foes, were beaten at the game.
Source: Facebook
They have both lost out in the supremacy battle for the leadership of the minority caucus of the 10th Senate, Daily Trust reported.
What played out on Tuesday, July 4, at the 10th Assembly
While Wike, who held a series of meetings with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, pushed for a particular senator, Tambuwal made known his interest in the minority leadership position, Channels TV report added.
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But on Tuesday, July 4, Akpabio announced other names as leaders of the minority caucus.
Simon Mwadkwon, senator representing Plateau North, defeated Tambuwal, representing Sokoto South, to become the minority leader of the upper legislative chamber, The Cable report confirmed.
Names of minority principal officers in 10th Assembly
1. Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau) - Minority leader
2. Senator Oyewumi Olalere (PDP, Osun) - Deputy Minority leader
3. Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia) - Minority Whip
4. Rufai Hanga (NNPP, Kano) - Deputy Minority Whip
PDP crisis: 2 people Atiku, Wike are supporting for Senate minority leader revealed
Legit.ng reported earlier that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its flagbearer in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, are on a collision course with the integrity group named the G-5 over the minority leadership position in the 10th National Assembly, particularly the Senate.
The PDP and Atiku had declared support for the ex-governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South), for the minority leadership seat, but the members of the G-5 are pushing for Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe (Cross River North) for the same position.
The jostle for the Senate minority leadership position appeared to be generating tension among the opposition senators following moves by some vested interests to impose a candidate on the Senate.
APC senators vying for majority leader
Ahead of the resumption of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, some of the various camps battling for the remaining principal office positions are waiting for the nod of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On Friday, June 30, a source divulged that President Tinubu is interested in the remaining principal office positions.
Some of the lawmakers who are believed to be interested in the position of the Senate majority leader include:
1) Ali Ndume (Senator for Borno South)
2) Opeyemi Bamidele (representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti state), and
3) Abdulfatai Buhari (lawmaker representing Oyo North Senatorial district)
A top APC source said:
“If the president played a critical role in the emergence of Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and their deputies, which are elective positions, you can expect that he will be very much interested in other positions that are principally the affairs of the party.”
Source: Legit.ng
