THE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled Senate on Thursday repudiated the reports published by some media outlets (not sharpedgenews.com) that it was plotting to upstage the incumbent minority leadership headed by Action Congress of Nigeria’s Senator George Akume of Benue State.
In a statement made available to sharpedgenews.com on Thursday, the majority leader of the Senate, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba denied the existence of any such plot, pointing out that Senator George Akume was more likely behind the spread of what he called “falsehood” as the minority leader has not deemed it fit to refute the reports.
“The Senate Majority Leadership is not aware of any plot to remove the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, from office except what has been published in the newspapers by him as well as his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),” the statement signed by Senator Ndoma-Egba read.
The majority leader went on to describe the workings of the Senate, explaining that it is not the usual practice for the majority leadership of the legislative body to prescribe or dictate the choices of the minority leadership, especially as the latter is under the guardianship of the opposition parties.
According to Ndoma-Egba, “the Senate, do not place the emergence or removal of a Senate Minority Leader within the powers of the Senate Majority Leadership. Senator Akume’s allegation is therefore a tissue of unguided and misplaced falsehood.”
The majority leadership pointed out that the notion that his leadership was somehow scheming to remove the minority leadership was mischievous, as those who have gone out to make such claim know how things work in the senate.
He concluded that the report provided by the minority leadership under the control of the Action Congress of Nigeria could only have been borne out of a calculated attempt at undermining the unity of the upper house.”
“The allegation smacks of ignorance on how Senate businesses are conducted because the majority party does participate in the election or removal of the Minority Leader,” the senator added.
Ndoma-Egba urged Akume “to provide the expected leadership for the minority parties of the Senate and stop making inflammatory statements that will create a semblance of crisis in our cohesive and united Senate.”