Chai! Oyo lawmakers lose out as principal officers are named in National Assembly
Khalid ABRAHAM
As positions are churned out in the National Assembly, legislators from Oyo state have continued to be overlooked in all parties.
Tuesday saw the announcement of principal officers in the upper legislative house by the Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, at the resumed plenary, with none coming from the Pacesetter State.
The principal officers as announced by Senator Akpabio include Opeyemi Bamidele, senator representing Ekiti central (majority leader), David Umahi, senator representing Ebonyi south (majority leader), Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south (chief whip), while Lola Ashiru, senator representing Kwara south is named as deputy chief whip.
For the minority caucus of the senate, made up of about seven political parties, Senator Simon Mwadkwon is pronounced as minority leader; Oyewumi Olalere, deputy minority leader; senator Darlington Nwokocha, minority whip; and senator Rufai Anga, deputy minority whip.
In similar vein, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has announced Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (Edo) as the House Majority Leader and Rt. Hon. Usman Kumo (Gombe) as Chief Whip of the House.
Hon. Halims Abdulahi from Kogi was named as Deputy Majority Leader and Rt. Hon.Oriyomi Onanuga from Ogun as the Deputy Chief Whip.
He further announced Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as the Minority Leader, Hon. Ali Isah (Gombe) Minority Whip, Madaki Aliyu (NNPP, Kano) is the Deputy Minority Leader and George Adegeye (LP, Lagos), Deputy Minority Whip.
As things stand, lawmakers from Oyo state, three senators and fourteen House of Representatives’ members, are overlooked in the appointment of principal officers.
Though most of these appointments are based on zoning it is a huge disappointment that Oyo state that was the political headquarters of southwest continues to be excluded from the calculations and permutations.
When it is considered that the three senators from Oyo state – Sarafadeen Alli (Oyo south), Yunus Akintunde (Oyo central) and Fatai Buhari (Oyo north) with the latter being a third term (thus a ranking) senator, then, it is unimaginable.l
There are also nine APC legislators and five PDP members in the lower legislative house from the state.
But none could fit in in the list of principal officers in either chamber.
Well, they will be content with chairmanship and membership of the various senate/house committees.
