Senate principal officers to emerge this week

After two week recess, the Senate will resume today to select its principal officers.

The positions are Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip and Minority Leader.
The majority All Progressives Congress (APC) will produce the Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the minority party, will produce the Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
It was learnt that the APC caucus and PDP caucus in the Senate met separately for hours in Abuja yesterday to finalise agreement on those to occupy the positions.
The controversial emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central) and Senator Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West) as Senate President and Deputy Senate President is a big lesson to the caucuses.

Our correspondent learnt that the disagreement over whether the APC leadership should play a major role in the selection of the remaining principal officers of the Senate or it should be the responsibility of the party caucus in the upper chamber “has been substantially settled at a meeting in Abuja today (yesterday),” according to a source.

He noted that “it is obvious that the handlers of the APC do not want further crack in the party; they are searching for lasting peace in the party in the interest of the party and the country at large.”
It was learnt that Senator James Manager (Delta South) Senator Joshua Dariye (Plateau Central) and Senator Joshua Lidani (Gombe South), may have been tipped to lead the PDP in the Senate.
Former Senate President David Mark was said to have turned down the slot of Minority Leader.
After the conclusion of the appointment of principal officers, President Muhammadu Buhari is likely to submit the list of his ministerial nominees to the senate this week for consideration and approval.

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