Minority leader: PDP may dump Tambuwal for Plateau senator

Strong indications emerged on Friday that the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party may pitch its tent with a senator from Plateau State as the minority leader of the red chamber.

This came as more opposition senators oppose the ambition of a former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, to lead them in the Senate.

In the current Senate, Senator Istifanus Gyang is the only PDP senator from Plateau State, as the two other senators from the state are in the APC.

Investigations by one of our correspondents indicated that the opposition senators felt it was wrong to cede the position to the North-West since the zone already had two principal offices in the National Assembly; deputy Senate president and Speaker, House of Representatives.

The Speaker, Tajudeen Abass, is from Kaduna State while the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, is from Kano State.

A PDP senator who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “North-West is not the only zone in Nigeria. There are six geopolitical zones in the country and we cannot concentrate in the North-West alone.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is from the same zone and he ha“Don’t forget he even made us lose the Sokoto governorship to the All Progressives Congress in his state. So, he has more work to do in his state than at the federal level.”

Meanwhile, as senators prepare for their resumption on July 4, the battle for the principal offices has continued to gain traction with more lawmakers indicating interest in the principal offices.

For the governing party, some of the lawmakers vying for the position of the Senate leader are Senators Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) and Fatai Buhari (Oyo North). It was also learnt that Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) has joined the race.

According to a reliable source familiar with the matter, Ndume had intensified his efforts to get the position given that he was the director-general of the Godswill Akpabio senate presidency campaign.

As provided for by the relevant laws and rules of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, aside from the two presiding officer positions, eight principal positions are also to be filled by lawmakers on the platforms of both the governing and minority political parties.

The other principal officers from the governing party are the Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Whip, while the opposition parties would produce the Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip.

When plenary resumes from its recess, the Senate President, Akpabio, is expected to read letters from concerned political parties on their nominations for the positions.

d just finished two terms in office. Tambuwal is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was a governor for eight years. He was one of those who also worked against the PDP in 2015 and made us (the PDP) an opposition political party. He should go and queue and work for the party in the next elections.

At the moment, however, none of the parties has disclosed their possible candidates for the principal offices. But according to multiple sources, the ruling All Progressives Congress might zone the Senate Majority Leader position to the South-West.

PDP divided

There are indications that the PDP’s nomination for the minority leader position in the red chamber might face some opposition from other lawmakers. According to findings, different interests are jostling to produce the candidate.

The PUNCH had reported that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, were in support of Tambuwal. However, Sunday PUNCH learnt that the leader of the opposition caucus, Adamu Aliero, visited the Senate President on Tuesday to inform him that some opposition senators had unanimously chosen him as the minority leader.

A senator from the North-West, who is aware of the development, said, “Aliero went to meet the Senate President that we, the opposition lawmakers, have agreed to make him the minority leader. Where and when was such a decision made?

“Others are also fighting for themselves, so you see that the PDP is facing a lot of challenges with various interests vested everywhere. Although the PDP is yet to communicate its intention to members, the handwriting on the wall says that it is going to the North-West.

“That means it’s going to be a battle between Tambuwal and Aliero.”


Also, sources among the lawmakers said although Tambuwal might be Atiku’s choice, Aliero stood a better chance based on his closeness to President Bola Tinubu.

The lawmaker said, “If things are not carefully done, this might be the end of the opposition caucus, particularly the PDP. Almost everybody wants to be the minority leader. From the look of things, nobody wants to step down to support the other person. Each person is fighting for personal interest.

“Atiku might want Tambuwal but the person that seems to be pulling some weight is Aliero. A lot of personal interests that might tear the PDP apart are coming to play, even outside those of former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, and his men.”

LP’s Kingibe’s chances

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the opposition caucus had decided to cede the deputy minority leader position to Labour Party’s Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory. Her choice was said to be premised on her support for Akpabio’s emergence as the Senate President and for gender balance.

A source stated, “Kingibe will get the deputy minority leader. The Minority Whip is likely going to the South-West. That of the deputy minority whip hasn’t been decided, so it’s unclear if PDP will also give one to the opposition parties.”

At the moment, those to emerge as the principal officers might become clear in the course of the week when the chamber reconvenes.