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Principal officers: APC protests selection, N’Assembly members back Akpabio, Abbas

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The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on Tuesday, expressed anger over the new leadership of the National Assembly announced by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

Adamu said the party was not officially informed about the sharing of the offices, describing the report of the emergence of principal officers as a rumour.

The party chair spoke at a crucial meeting of the National Working Committee and APC governors at the party secretariat in Abuja hours after the Senate President named Ekiti Central lawmaker, Opeyemi Bamidele, as the 10th Senate Majority Leader.

Akpabio also announced Senator Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as Deputy Majority Leader; Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip, and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.

He also named Plateau North lawmaker, Mwadkwon Davou as Minority Leader while Osun West lawmaker, Kamorudeen Olarere (PDP Osun West) emerged as the Deputy Minority Leader.

Also, Darlington Nwokeocha, (LP Abia Central) was named Minority Whip while Rufai Hanga (NNPP Kano Central) was the Deputy Minority Whip.

Regardless of the ruling party’s position, several lawmakers are backing the National Assembly leaders’ decision and they have also endorsed the new principal officers.

It’s rumour – Adamu

Speaking on the development in the federal parliament, Adamu said, “I have just heard a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives.

“The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices. Until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions.

“So whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.

“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus. For quite a time, there has been no caucus in place. The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC. And we will be discussing that with you as governors, you know your states more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.”

Continuing, the APC chairman disclosed that the party would make an official announcement when the decision on the sharing formula of the principal offices had been determined.

The former two-term governor of Nasarawa State also used the opportunity to update the APC governors on the audit of the party’s account in the last year, which the NWC hoped to submit in seven days at the meeting of the National Executive Committee.

He said, “You will get an update of the national election in the national assembly sharing of powers particularly the leadership of the chambers, the election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined and announced and their responsibilities.

“The remaining offices are to be determined by the two chambers is yet to be done. I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his deputy.

“Along with the caucus, the National Advisory Council will give you the list that has been prepared and make sure that every state is represented. And we will give you the knowledge of it and advice. You will also be given the benefits of all the detailed accounts from April 2022 to April 2023.

‘’The PCC account has been audited and it has been submitted to the INEC by the party. We will hear your advice and then see how we can ensure that we comply with the provisions of the constitution of the party.”

Our correspondent reports that there was an alteration in the proceedings before the emergence of the principal officers.

Previously, the party would write the Senate President who will in turn read the names of the appointed officers on the floor of the chamber.

However, this tradition was not followed as the lawmakers were said to have agreed on the consensus candidates nominated for the positions in consultations with the political parties.

So, the Senate President simply read out the names of the selected lawmakers.

Akpabio defends selection

Akpabio said, “The All Progressives Congress caucus of the Senate after consultations has emerged with their leadership which will be the fulcrum of commencing other businesses of the chamber.

“I’m happy to announce that by consensus the Senate Leader is Senator Opeyemi Bamidele will be the Majority Leader. Sen. Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno) will be the Chief Whip of the 10th Senate; Sen. David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi), by your consent will act as the Deputy Leader and Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) will be the Deputy Chief Whip.”

The Senate President explained that the emergence of the minority leaders was a democratic process.

According to him, 38 out of the lawmakers gave their signature and supported the emergence of the opposition caucus leaders, noting that it was more democratic to have other opposition parties elect their leaders, rather than making it solely a PDP affair.

He said, “On the other hand, concerning the minority parties, again it wasn’t entirely a party affair. Because it wasn’t a typical situation where you have one opposition party but rather six political parties involved.

“Fifty of our colleagues were involved so rather than it being a decision to be taken at the secretariat of political parties, it was more of a decision taken by members who were elected on the platform of the six minority parties, and 38 of them by their signature decided as to who their leaders will be and of course this was also communicated to their respective political parties and as democrats, all the presiding officers did was to follow suit because more than a single majority had decided.

“It is a ‘no victor no vanquish situation.’ We are happy eventually a leadership has emerged for the 10th senate”

  Meanwhile, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), a loyalist of the ex-Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has been named the House of Reps Minority Leader while Ali Madaki of the New Nigeria Peoples Party was named as the Deputy Minority Leader.

 The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, announced Julius Ihonvbere, the lawmaker representing Owan East/Owan West of Edo as the Majority Leader and Abdullahi Halims representing Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro of Kogi as the Deputy Majority Leader.

Abbas announced Bello Kumo representing Akko federal constituency of Gombe as the Chief Whip and Adewunmi Onanuga representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North federal constituency in Ogun, as the Deputy Chief Whip.

Ali Isa of the PDP was named the Minority Whip, while George Ebizimawo of the Labour Party was announced as deputy minority whip.

 Abbas said all the members of the APC in the house endorsed the selection of the principal officers from the governing party.

Reacting to the APC’s chairman’s allegation, the Senate Majority leader, Bamidele noted that the APC was aware of the emergence of the Senate principal officers.

According to him, those who emerged as leaders visited the APC chairman at his Keffi hometown during the Sallah holidays.

Bamidele stated, “By the grace of God, we will be able to make a difference that will be positive and that will be worth the effort of all of you that worked with us in ensuring that the two presiding officers emerged in a manner that was not rancorous, in a manner that was not only democratic but transparent.

“But of course, the emergence of the remaining principal officers of the 10th Senate was not an issue that was meant to be decided on the floor but rather it was an issue which on the one hand as related to the APC needed to be decided among the critical stakeholders of the party.

Bamidele speaks

“If you see the picture of those who visited the APC chairman, you will discover that those who were in the picture who visited, are those whose names came out on the list. So, there is no way the party can claim not to be aware of the emergence of the leadership of the majority leadership.”

Bamidele added that the same set of people visited President Tinubu during the Sallah festivities in Lagos to consult and present themselves to him.

“Before we went to the APC chairman, we went to see the President in Lagos and also consulted with him. The new leadership has emerged for the 10th senate and all I can assure you on behalf of myself and my dear colleagues is that we see it as an assignment. It is an assignment that we take very seriously,” he noted.

The Senate leader noted that the next step was to hit the ground running concerning committee formation, ministerial list and executive communication

Bamidele said, “For us, the next task is to ensure we hit the ground running so that from tomorrow we are able to take steps that will show that we have a clear understanding of what is to be done, the first task ahead of us is to constitute special committees of the 10th Senate. Our rules make provision for six special committees.

“Before long, during July we will have all the committees special and standing committees properly constituted so that every senator can get busy based on their professional background and can properly fit into the sector where they can add value.”

“We are ready to receive correspondence from the executive through a committee of the whole of the house commence with the confirmation hearing of the service chiefs and some other appointees who had been named by the President,” he added.

The lawmaker representing Nasarawa West, Senator Ahmed Wadada told our correspondent that although he had questions about how the names of the leaders were arrived at, he did not have a problem with the outcome.

He noted that it was put to vote and 38 lawmakers voted in support of it.

 He said, “I was not interested in the principal offices nor will I be interested today. If I was offered, I wouldn’t have been interested. What I want is fairness and balance. What should have been ideally done was to balance.’’

 “Of course, it was the decision of the majority of the lawmakers. If it wasn’t, trouble would have brewed on the floor but as you can see everything went smoothly.”

Senator Victor Umeh ( LP, Anambra Central) also noted that he expected some different names on the list but since it was the decision of the majority, it was accepted.

He further noted that the 10th Senate didn’t want to experience any form of crisis because they have the intention to work harmoniously for the country.

Umeh said, “Nobody lost out. Yes, we thought some people would emerge but since it was a majority’s choice, we have no reason to fight. There is a lot of work ahead of us and nobody is willing to have a crises-ridden senate.”

But the lawmaker representing, Kebbi South, Garuba Maidoki, expressed surprise over the emergence of the leadership.

He complained that nobody informed him about the process, stating that it was unfair “to sideline some people because they didn’t vote for the presiding officers.’’

Speaking on the controversy trailing the emergence of the NASS leaders, the Deputy Director of Publicity of the PDP, Chinwe Nnorom said the party would sort itself out on the issue.

“It is the internal affairs of their party and we are sure they will sort it out,” she said.

On his part, the Spokesman for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu advised Adamu to remain calm, noting that Akpabio would not take any position against his party.

He said, “The ruling party produces the Senate Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Chief Whip, and Deputy Chief Whip. These are positions for the party in the majority. But I don’t think Adamu needs to worry. Senator Akpabio will not take a position that will go against his party’s interest.

“Senator Bamidele is Tinubu’s boy. So, his emergence as Senate Majority Leader may not have been a unilateral decision engineered by Akpabio. With time, I think the APC NWC will know what happened and why it happened on Tuesday.”

Concerned by the friction generated by the choice of the National Assembly principal officers, the Labour Party blamed the face-off on President Bola Tinubu, saying it was obvious that the 10th National Assembly had mortgaged its independence.

Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, the LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk, faulted the alleged interference of the APC in the business of the parliament.

He stated, “The way I see it, the two chambers have completely mortgaged the independence of the 10th National Assembly. They were selected and not appointed.’’

But he vowed the opposition and minority caucus would not take a back seat and watch the two chambers fall apart.

Going by the APC’s position, the Chief Spokesman for Obi-Datti Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, said this meant that the legislature was truly not independent.

 Tanko stated that the ruling party’s frequent interference in the decisions of the legislators “will sooner or later reduce them to the status of a rubber stamp assembly.’’

APC govs

Meanwhile, the Progressive Governors’ Forum has pledged to intervene in the conflict between the APC and the presiding leaders of the National Assembly over the choice of principal officers.

But the governors believed the action was a result of a communication gap between the party and the party’s high-ranking legislators.

Addressing newsmen after they met with the NWC, the PGF Chairman and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, promised that they will resolve this with the aid of the APC internal mechanism.

He said, “Don’t let us misquote him. The chairman never said that they (Akpabio and Abbas) are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they enjoy our support.

“If there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make up. We have our internal mechanism for resolving such things. The national Assembly leadership enjoys the support of Progressives Governors Forum and that of our party. We don’t have any problem at all.

 “We congratulated ourselves in the way and manner the leadership of the National Assembly election was conducted. We now have a Senate President, his Deputy Senate President, Speaker and his deputy who we are very confident will do well,” he stated.

The Imo governor also debunked the growing report that Adamu has handed the audited account of the APC for scrutiny ahead of the National Caucus meeting slated for July 10.

“In the course of the conversation, the chairman did mention that in keeping with the Electoral Act, they (NWC) are working on having an audited account that will be presented at the national caucus meeting. It was just mentioned. It has not been presented,” he said.

Courtesy PUNCH Newspaper

Health

JUST IN: NAFDAC goes digital in fight against fake pharmaceutical products

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has gone digital in its efforts to rid the country of substandard and falsified pharmaceutical products.

During a two-day workshop and training session in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday, NAFDAC introduced an app, Greenbook, an online platform for identifying the source of a product.

The Greenbook allows consumers to enter the product name, brand name, or registration number to search for information about its registration status.

If the product is listed in the Greenbook, it signifies that it has been registered by NAFDAC and is considered authentic.

The app serves as a tool to help consumers identify and avoid potentially fake or substandard products.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, speaking at the workshop in Port Harcourt, stated that these fake products are “produced by our greedy businessmen and their international collaborators to get rich or make money,” describing it as the worst form of inhumanity of man to his fellow men.

Prof. Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of the Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate, NAFDAC, Fraden Bitrus, noted that the agency has, over the years, deployed various measures to combat falsified products.

She expressed concern that counterfeiters have adopted increasingly sophisticated methods to advance their trade but assured that NAFDAC “is poised to use technologies and modern means to mitigate the activities of counterfeiters, hence the need for stakeholder sensitisation.”

She added that the workshop aims to educate stakeholders and provide hands-on training on the NAFDAC Greenbook, the Traceability Regulation 2024, and the Paediatric Regulation 2024, ensuring that both the regulator and the regulated are aligned in the fight against substandard and falsified medical products.

Prof. Adeyeye revealed that the project is being implemented in phases, initially used for COVID-19 vaccine distribution as a pilot project, which yielded highly effective results.

She noted, “Within 24 hours, batches of substandard or defective vaccines distributed in the country were traced and recalled.”

She further stated, “We have implemented it for commodities in public health, such as antimalarial and narcotic products.

Over time, we will extend it to other products. Please note that with this technology, stakeholders can detect and reject SF products before they enter the supply chain.”

She called on all stakeholders in the healthcare sector to support these initiatives to combat fake products and ensure the availability of quality, safe, and efficacious medical products for the people of Nigeria.

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NATASHA VS AKPABIO: Senate Passes Vote of confidence in Akpabio’s Leadership

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Amid the controversy rocking the Nigerian Senate, the Red Chamber on Thursday passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

This comes after Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele under Orders 40 and 51, moved a motion on the recent controversy surrounding the upper chamber, underscoring the need for clarity, adherence to legislative rules and a renewed focus on governance.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central was suspended by the Senate following allegation of sexual harassments against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

She tagged her suspension as an injustice, reporting the matter to the United Nation’s Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on Tuesday.

The Senate, however, responded to her complaint to the IPU on Wednesday, telling the international body that Senator Natasha’s suspension has nothing to do with her sexual abuse allegation against Akpbaio, but for gross misconduct and disobedient to Senate rules.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate , Senator Bamidele acknowledged heightened public interest in the matter due to allegations made by a fellow senator.

However, he maintained that at no point between August 2023 and the present was the Senate informed of any sexual harassment claims, adding that the issue at hand was purely about disciplinary measures related to breaches of Senate rules.

According to him, “I want to make it clear that the matter referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges had nothing to do with sexual harassment.

The Senate President did not preside over any case related to such allegations. What was addressed was a flagrant disregard for Senate rules and we followed due process as guided by the Constitution”.

He further defended the Senate’s authority to regulate its proceedings, including the decision to suspend a senator, stating that such actions were necessary to maintain order and uphold legislative integrity.

He refuted claims that the Senate acted beyond its constitutional rights, noting that suspension remains the only alternative to anarchy within the chamber.

“It was never an issue before us that any member of us was sexually harassed and we hold on to that point. We need to put the events of the last two weeks and concentrate.

There is work before us and we have done everything possible, ensuring that the electoral reforms and others have legislative expressions.

”Regarding international reactions, he further clarifies that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) acted within its own rules, and that any statements made by the Senator in question at the IPU meeting were done in a personal capacity, not as a designated delegate representing Nigeria.

“It was never an issue before us that any senator was sexually harassed. We need to move past the events of the last two weeks and focus on our legislative responsibilities.

There is critical work before us, including electoral reforms, economic recovery, and tax reform bills.

“The 7th schedule of the 1999 Constitution is clear, and we all swore by oath that we will make laws for the good of this country. We swore to that oath and ensured everyone abides by that oath”.

The Senate leader also addressed the Civil Society Organizations, noting that Nigeria is making progress but still faces significant challenges.

He urged the public to be objective in their analysis and to reserve their energy for genuine cases of sexual harassment.

“We have heard you, but we need to concentrate in our work, so if we choose to be silent on this matter going forward, know that it is intentional on our part.

Please be objective in your analysis and save energy for those genuine victims of sexual harassment”.

To conclude, the Senate passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, commending the way the matter was handled.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over Thursday’s plenary session, noted that with the budget which has now passed demands that the legislature focus on its oversight functions.

He reiterated that the matter is now before the courts, and as such, the Senate should allow the legal system to take its course.

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SENATE: Natasha not suspended over sexual harassment petition, IPU can’t dictate to us

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The complaint laid by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan at the United Nations Inter parliamentary conference in New York on Tuesday has continued to attract reactions.

The Kogi Lawmaker had taken her case before the global institution for them to prevail over what she says is an injustice meted on her.

After listening to her complaint, the IPU told Senator Natasha that it will take necessary steps to address the complaints she brought to the union after listening to the other side.

The Nigerian Senate has however replied to Senator Natasha’s complaint to the IPU through a letter by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

The letter was read by the Chairperson of the House of Representatives committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Honorable Kafilat Ogbara, who is attending the event in an official capacity representing Nigeria.

The Senate letter read in part, “Senator Natasha-Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for gross misconduct and unruly behaviour and not as a result of allegation of sexual harassment or assault.

The authority of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria firmly refutes the deliberate misinformation and false narrative being circulated by certain media organisations regarding the sixth months suspension of Senator Natsaha-Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“Let it be unequivocally stated that Uduaghan was suspended solely for her persistent act of misconduct and disregard for the Senate Standing Orders.”

Honourable Ogbara, however, called for a thorough investigation into the allegation by Senator Natasha against the Senator President, Godswill Akpabio.

She maintained that procedures and necessary actions under the Senate rules were observed before Senator Natasha’s suspension.

Last week, the Senate suspended the lawmaker in a move that has continued to generate debates across the country.

She had initially submitted a petition to the Senate accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment. But the lawmakers threw it out before suspending her even after submitting another petition.

Senator Natasha vowed to continue the fight against “injustice”.

But in the wake of the suspension, Akpabio denied the accusations and maintained he has never assaulted women.

Her altercation with the Senate president started on February 20, 2025, after her seat was changed during plenary.

That is not the first time both individuals had issues. In July 2024, Akpabio had while trying to correct her for misconduct told her to follow the rules and that the Senate is not a nightclub where anybody can talk anyhow.

The Akwa Ibom lawmaker, however, later apologised to her for the remark.

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