* Somebody’s Announced As New Majority Leader – Senate Spokesman
Teddy Nwanunobi
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Former Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, who was earlier ousted as the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers on Tuesday, has hinted that he was not aware of his removal from the position.
This is even as the Senate has maintained that it now has a new leader. APC lawmakers had earlier fired Ndume, replacing him with Senator Ahmed Lawan.
The Senate President, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who announced the replacement through a letter during the plenary, however, did not give the reasons for the shock replacement.
But in a reaction, Ndume claimed that he was not aware of his sack from the position he had enjoyed since June 2015.
“Let me say I don’t have much to say because actually, I was leading the business of the Senate, and when it was like quarter to one (12:45 p.m.) as usual, I asked my deputy to sit in for me, while I go to pray.
“On coming back, I discovered that the session (was) over, and one of your colleagues approached me, and said: ‘leader, what happened?’
“And I said what happened, and he said there has been announcement in the change of leadership. I said I didn’t know.
“And at this point that is the position. I didn’t know that there was change of leadership because I was not there. I went to prayers, and I didn’t know what actually happened, and I cannot say much than that,” Ndume claimed.
Meanwhile, the Senate spokesman, Senator Abdullahi Sabi, maintained that the Red Chamber now has a new Majority Leader.
“I am speaking for the Senate, and of course, as you can hear from the announcement, it was a letter from the APC caucus.
“I am not the spokesman of the APC caucus; but I am a member of APC, and I am here to speak for the Senate.
“So, it will be very difficult for me, and I don’t want to find myself in saying: ‘who sent you?’.
“For the other one, I’m not the spokesperson of the caucus. So, the announcement is made, and of course, the Senate made the announcement, and the announcement is self explanatory.
“Another leader was announced, and as far as I am concerned, it is an announcement that somebody is announced as the new leader of the majority because it is the majority leader,” he explained.
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