“If APC gets Minority Leader, opposition parties will be dead in NASS” – Shehu Sani
Senator Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central has expressed fear that if the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC gets the position of the Minority Leader in the National Assembly, opposition parties like the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and the Labour Party will be dead.
Sani stated this while speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Monday.
He stated, “The signs that are coming is that they (APC) want to have a Minority Leader that will be a stooge of the ruling party, then it is done, it will be the death of the opposition (PDP) in the National Assembly.
“Why you hear more of the Labour Party today doing the opposition, it is that PDP has mortgaged their responsibility of the main opposition to Labour Party.
“Nobody is saying you should go to the National Assembly and fight the executive, but we know fully well that the dignity of the National Assembly is centered in its independence. There will be no independence if APC gets everything.
“The Minority Leader in a parliamentary system is like the alternative government. But, if we have a Minority Leader that will play the role of the opposition, it will be better for the country,” he said.
Recall that Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau emerged the Senate President and Deputy Senate President of the 10th Senate, while, Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu emerged Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
While Barau and Kalu emerged unopposed, Akpabio prevailed after a tough battle and Abass recorded a landslide victory over his two opponents.
In the Senate where all the 109 senators took part, Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State and one-time Senate Minority leader, polled 63 votes to defeat former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari (APC, Zamfara West) who polled 46 votes.
In the House of Representatives, it was smooth sailing for Abass as 353 of the 359 lawmakers inaugurated gave him their votes. His challengers, Idris Wase and Aminu Jaji polled three votes each.
