Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained its lead in the Senate, now boasting 59 out of the 109 member-legislature.
With 109 seats in the Senate fully occupied now, membership of lawmakers across party lines shows that the ruling APC has 59 Senators, PDP has 37 Senators, Labour Party, seven Senators, New Nigeria Peoples Party 2, Social Democratic Party, two, All Progressives Grand Alliance, one and Action Democratic Party, one.
This, however, followed three senators, who recently won bye-elections in their respective senatorial districts and took their oaths of office yesterday.
The senators are Pam Mwadkon (Action Democratic Party, Plateau North); Professor Anthony Ani (All Progressives Congress, Ebonyi South) and Mustapha Musa (All Progressives Congress, Yobe East)
They were subsequently led to their respective seats after the swearing-in
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had directed the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze to administer the oath of office to the new senators at about 11:41 am.
Vacancies for the now-filled three Senatorial Seats, existed as a result of the appointments of Senators David Umahi (Ebonyi South), and Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe East ), appointed ministers by President Bola Tinubu in August last year as well as the nullification of election of Senator Simon Mwadkwon as Plateau North Senator in October last year.
After taking the oath of office, the senators had a separate handshake with the Senate President, who handed copies of the senate standing rules to them.
They, thereafter, exchanged pleasantries with other senators before they were led to their seats by the sergeant-at-arms.
Pam Mwadkon, a member of Action Democratic Party replaced the former Minority leader, Simon Mwadkwon, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, who was sacked by the Appeal Court last November.
Ani, replaced the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who was appointed as a minister. While Mr Mustapha, a member of the APC replaced Ibrahim Geidam, also appointed Minister of Police Affairs, and resigned afterwards.
