Aliero, Dickson, Ningi, Others Warn Against Imposition Of Senate Minority Leader

Eight Senators in the 10th National Assembly have warned against the ongoing attempt to impose the Senate Minority Leader on the minority parties in the Senate.

In a statement issued on Saturday after a meeting in Abuja, the lawmakers pledged to work constructively with the new Senate leadership and the Executive to deliver good governance to the Nigerian people.

The Senators, however, warned the Senate leadership and the Executive not to aid any group inside or outside the National Assembly to divide the minority caucus in the Senate.

The lawmakers, who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and YPP, have also called on all members of the minority political parties to work together in unity to defend the democratic institution of the Senate and Nigeria.

Signatories to the statement include Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Senator Mohammed Adamu Aliero, Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Abdul Ningi, Senator Patrick Abba Moro, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi; Senator Sumaila Kawu, and Senator Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah.

The statement reads: “We have pledged to work constructively with the new Senate leadership and the Executive branch to deliver good governance to the Nigerian people. We consequently hereby advise and caution that they should not aid any group inside or outside the Senate to divide and destabilise the minority parties and the Senate institution.

“The senators of the minority parties would meet when the Senate reconvenes to select their leaders after due consultations with their political parties “without undue interference from anti-democratic forces within or outside the Senate.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, no Senator has yet been endorsed or selected for any Minority position as this would await due process as agreed by all Minority Parties in their last meeting. Attempts to foist a one-party dictatorship would be resisted and would fail.

“We call on all members of the minority political parties to work together in unity to defend the democratic institution of the Senate and Nigeria,”