- Senate committed to healthy financial institutions, says Lawan
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the Senate has vowed to resist moves by the party leadership to replace one of the principal minority officers elected about a fortnight ago.
This is just as the Senate leadership Wednesday expressed its commitment to healthy financial institutions in the country.
THISDAY gathered that the recent move by the national leadership of the PDP, to swap names of selected principal officers of its Senate caucus is causing ripples among the party’s senators.
The National Working Committee of the PDP was on Tuesday reported to be planning to rejig the minority leadership positions by dropping Senator Clifford Ordia (Edo Central) for Senator Sahabi Yau (Zamfara North) as replacement.
THISDAY gathered that the attempt to drop Ordia is causing ripples among the Senate caucus of the party.
Some PDP senators from the South-south, who have vowed to resist the move, said the party can’t impose anyone on them without due consultation.
One of the aggrieved Senators from the zone said yesterday in Abuja that the principal minority officers’ election was conducted at a meeting held at the Abuja residence of the National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus on June 14
According to him, nominations were made in the presence of party leaders and PDP senators and those who emerged were unanimously backed by the various organs of the party.
He stated that the recent move to alter the list and drop some names, did not have the backing of the caucus of the party, adding that no one has been consulted or a meeting held with PDP senators to agree on the issue.
He accused governors of mounting pressure on the leadership of the PDP to ensure that their interest is represented in the Senate.
The Senator further explained: “Under the rules of the Senate, it is not the responsibility of the National Working Committee to select principal officials.
“It is the responsibility of the senators themselves to select who leads them. The minority senators have freely elected those they want and nothing will change it.
“The argument that they want to represent every part of the country is false. There are eight positions open to the PDP in the two chambers of the National Assembly. Even if you share one to each geopolitical zone, two will still get an extra slot.
“Those we selected are known to us. They are the people we can work with. Some governors causing this division don’t know how the parliament operates. They want to control everything in the party for their selfish interest.”
“May be, the NWC has not learnt its lessons. The APC tried this imposition in the eight Senate and they paid for it dearly. It’s up to the PDP to allow us have our way or allow strangers destroy its fold in the Senate.”
Ranking PDP Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe had a fortnight ago emerged as Senate minority leader with Emmanuel Bwacha, who represents Taraba South Senatorial District emerging deputy minority leader.
Also, Philip Aduda, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, emerged as the minority whip with Clifford Odia emerging as the Senate deputy minority whip.
Meanwhile, the Senate has expressed its commitment towards a healthy banking in the country
President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, made this known yesterday while receiving the management team of the National Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), led by its Managing Director, Umar Ibrahim in his office.
He was optimistic that members of the ninth Senate are desirous of a stable economy which he said could only be achieved through collaboration by all players in the financial services.
