APC Trashes PDP; Wins 64 Seats In The Senate

The emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as the President-elect is throwing up a lot of firsts in the history of Nigerian politics. Again, this will be the first time a two-term Senate President will be returning to the Senate as an ordinary member and in the minority party.

The result of the National Assembly election declared by INEC on Tuesday has pushed the leading party, the All Progressives Congress, to the majority status in the 109 membership Senate.

Before the election, the Peoples Democratic Party enjoyed the majority status in the red chamber with 64 members while APC has 41. Other parties, like Labour, Accord and SDP shared the remaining 5.

But from May 29, APC will have 64 senators; the PDP 45; and the Labour Party, one.

This development will obviously alter the configuration of the Senate leadership in the 8th Senate which would be inaugurated in June this year, as the APC would constitute the principal officers.

For instance, the current Senate President, David Mark who is returning to the Senate for the fifth time, will lose his seat to an APC member while the change in gear will also affect other principal officers like the Deputy Senate President, Senate Leader, Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip; and Deputy Chief Whip.

Apart from Mark and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu who won the election to return to the Senate, other principal officers like the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma -Egba; his deputy, Abdul Ningi; Chief Whip, Bello Gwarzo; and his deputy, Hosea Agboola, all lost their bid to return.

The current configuration is set to automatically transform the status of the APC members, especially the principal officers from minority to the majority.

For instance, the Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, according to sources, may likely emerge the new senate president, although some of his colleagues believed that another ranking senator should be elected since Mark, his kinsman from Benue, would be relinquishing the seat after eight years.