Senate Minority Leader: Court Declines to Stop Akpabio

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole has refused to grant Exparte Injunction against the Senate from recognizing Chief Godswill Akpabio as Minority Leader.

Two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr Alaye Pedro and Dr Okechukwu Ibeh had sought an order restraining the


Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and members of the PDP caucus from the South-South in the Senate from appointing Senator Akpabio as Senate Minority Leader by a procedure which they claimed was in breach of the Senate Standing Order.

But Justice Kolawole on Wednesday in his ruling queried the locus standi of the applicants and went further to dismiss the applicants' relief of an interim order restraining the Senate President and the Senate PDP Caucus from selecting Senator Akpabio as Senate Minority Leader.

The judge however granted the applicants prayer of an order of substituted service of processes by publication in two national newspapers and consequently adjourned the matter to October 5,2015 for mention.

Analysts believe that with the judgement and the overwhelming endorsement by the Senate leadership, the PDP and the South-South caucus of the party in the Senate, Senator Akpabio may be elected as the Minority Leader when the Senate resumes on July 28, 2015.