Tension gripped the Senate on Tuesday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio revealed two minority leaders, triggering uproar among senators.

The positions of Senate Minority Leader and Minority Whip were left vacant after the Court of Appeal ousted the former occupants, Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP, Plateau North) and Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central). The court nullified Mwadkwon’s election, ordering a rerun, while Nwokocha was replaced by Augustine Akobundu of the PDP.

Last week, PDP senators convened an emergency meeting to decide on replacements for the vacant positions. Senator Garba Maidoki (PDP, Bauchi) announced that the opposition lawmakers agreed on the North Central geo-political zone for the Minority Leader.

During the plenary, Akpabio declared Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) as the minority leader and Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West) as the minority whip. Akpabio claimed the new minority leaders had the majority support of their colleagues in the opposition, with 41 senators endorsing Moro and 30 supporting Ngwu. However, this announcement faced resistance, particularly from the Labour Party within the minority caucus.