Tambuwal or Ningi? Scrabble for senate minority leader slot begins as favourite lawmaker emerges

Senator Ningi has been tipped ahead of Senator Tambuwal to become the next Senate Minority Leader

In the build-up to the resumption of the plenary session of the 10th National Assembly, the scrabble for who becomes the minority leader at the Senate has heightened.

A statement obtained by Legit.ng on Sunday, June 2, confirmed that former Senate Deputy Majority Leader Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP Bauchi) had been tipped for the coveted position of the Minority Leader of the 10th Senate.

It was gathered that Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other minority Parties may have resolved to elect Senator Ningi.

This is coming on the heels of pressure from PDP senators and other critical stakeholders in the Party, including State Governors to former Sokoto State Governor and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sen. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, a first-timer in the Senate, to withdraw from the race.

Ningi is said to be enjoying the support of the majority of PDP Senators and those from other minority parties owing to his long-standing legislative experience in the Senate.

While Tambuwal is a first-timer in the Senate, Ningi, who ranks as one of the longest-serving members of the National Assembly, has held Principal Officer positions in both chambers, having served as Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.

Critical stakeholders in the PDP are said to be reserved towards Tambuwal, who, as Speaker of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the PDP, dumped the Party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014. A Senator in the minority caucus who pleaded anonymity confirmed to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, June 2, that many senators insist on Senator Ningi.

He said: “Tambuwal is a seasoned legislator and a team player but on the issue of Minority Leader of the Senate, I can confirm that as we speak, most of the senators are aligned with Ningi. There are entreaties to Senator Tambuwal to step down for Ningi and I believe that he is seeing reasons he should do so.”

Another senator in the minority caucus also told journalists that the Caucus is fine-tuning its position and will speak with one voice ahead of Tuesday. “We are ironing out all the issues and we will speak with one voice ahead of the resumption of plenary on Tuesday.”