As of now both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House are members of Peoples Democratic Party, a party whose majority status is not clear. It seems that APC has been shut out of the Legislative leadership. Both the deputies are also from PDP.
How Come?
It appears that the leadership of APC is always outmaneuvered by the seasoned PDP leadership. After the 2016 elections, APC had an overwhelming majority in both Houses. The Senate President and deputy and the Speaker and deputy ought to have come from APC. APC leadership had a list of who would hold these positions but for reasons yet to be understood by Nigerians, the leadership “forgot” the time schedule for the elections in both Houses as they called a different party meeting outside the legislature.
PDP exploited the loophole and managed to elect Saraki and Dogara as President and Speaker and as compensation elected their members as the deputies. APC was not pleased but lacked the parliamentary skills to change things. It was OK at the time since both Saraki and Dogara were on paper APC, even though not in the mainstream. PDP had elected very skilled and tried legislators as deputies and they were able to influence parliamentary events to PDP’s liking.
Recently the politics of APC leadership President Buhari and Mr. Oshiomhole) have forced both Saraki and Dogara into PDP’s open hands thus giving PDP the leadership of the legislature which they failed to win in the last election.
Mr. Oshiomhole by warning and demanding that Mr. Saraki resigns his Senate president’s position or be impeached shows how little he understands parliamentary protocols. APC needs 2/3 majority to impeach a number it does not currently have.
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