Adeyeye Emerges Senate Chief Whip

A member of the Senate, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, representing Osun Central constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress has been made the new Senate chief whip of the 8th Nigerian Senate. Adeyeye was nominated for the position by the Senate South-west caucus. This was made known when the Senate president, Senator Bukola Saraki read out a letter from the South West APC caucus at the plenary session on Wednesday, September 30. The Senate president had skipped reading the ministerial list which was submitted to the hallowed chambers as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari. However, when Senator Godswill Akpabio who represents Akwa Ibom Northwest senatorial district demanded to know the reason why the Senate president had skipped reading the ministerial list, Senator Bala N’Allah replied that they still had enough time during the day to announce the list. The Senate had resumed from a six-week summer recess on Tuesday, September 29. During the session, the senators in a motion‎ by David Umaru promised their loyalty to Saraki in the face of his trial. According to Umaru, “the senate remains solidly behind Saraki and other principal officers of the upper chamber”. The senator said the senate will not bow to forces outside the senate who were trying to use propaganda to rubbish the leadership. Seconding the motion, Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara) said: “If anybody thinks that he can influence the senate from the outside, he should go and sleep.” Saraki put the motion to a voice vote to which the “ayes” carried the day. However, some anti-Saraki senators had protested the vote of confidence passed on the Senate president. Senator Babajide Omoworare, the senate chairman of the commmittee on business and rules dissociated himself from the stamp of confidence passed on Saraki.