Tempers flared in the Senate as tensions rose over the distribution of a N500 billion loan. Lawmakers aligned with Senate President Godswill Akpabio clashed with those who were left out of the recent appointments of principal officers.
Akpabio, in a surprising move, appointed Ekiti Senator Bamidele Opeyemi as majority leader instead of Ali Ndume, who had previously served as Akpabio’s campaign director for the Senate presidency. Additionally, Plateau North Senator Simon Mwadkwon was chosen as minority leader over former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
During the session, Ndume attempted to read his motion titled “Uneven Disbursement of Half a Trillion Naira Loan to Six Geopolitical Zones by the Development Bank of Nigeria.” However, Akpabio intervened and halted him, leading to a heated exchange.
Solomon Adeola, who is expected to head the Senate Committee on Appropriations, spoke instead and defended the actions of the 9th Senate. Sani Musa, who chaired the adhoc Committee in the 9th Senate, accused Ndume of misleading the Senate and emphasized that Ndume had signed the final report.
Akpabio subsequently ruled and suspended the consideration of the motion, rejecting Ndume’s attempt to reintroduce it. Aliyu Wadada, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), protested against the decision but was also ruled out of order.
Despite Ndume’s insistence that the issues raised in the motion were crucial, Akpabio refused to allow any further debate. The session moved on to the next item in the Order Paper as tensions remained high.
Ndume’s suspended motion highlighted that out of the disbursed funds, Lagos State received 47%, while the northern states collectively received only 11%. The South West received the largest portion, accounting for 57%, followed by the South South with 17%, the FCT and North Central with 11%, the South East with 9%, the North West with 5%, and the North East with a mere 1%.
Ndume proposed the establishment of an adhoc Committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter, with a four-week deadline for reporting back for further legislative action.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu held a meeting with APC Chairman Abdullahi Adamu and Party Secretary Dr Iyiola Omisore at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting occurred shortly after the APC distanced itself from the selection of principal officers in the 10th National Assembly, as announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.
Although no statements were made to the press following the meeting, reliable sources indicated that the discussion was related to the ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment of principal officers.