The Senate President of Nigeria, Barr Godswill Akpabio has listed names of new Senate Principal Officers. Principal Officers of the Senate include: Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Majority Leader of the Senate, Deputy Leader, Senate Majority Whip, Deputy Senate Majority Whip, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Whip. These are the Principal Officers of the Senate of Nigeria as well as the House of Representatives.
Just today, the new Senate President, Godswill Akpabio named former Governor of Ebonyi State and Senator representing Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone, Sen. David Umahi as Senate Deputy Majority Leader. He’s to deputise the Leader of the Senate as newly appointed, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele. APC has a total of 53 of the 109 total Senators at the Nigerian Senate. It, therefore, means that APC has Majority membership of the Senate and as a result, controls the Senate.
Sen. David Umahi who is 59 years old began his political journey as Chairman of PDP in Ebonyi State in 2009. He performed well as Chairman of the party by erecting a state secretariat PDP at the National named the best in Nigeria. The secretariat situated along the Abakaliki- Enugu expressway, Abakaliki is a state-of-the-art type. He was also Chairman of the Board of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State capital. In 2011, he was elected Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State under Chief Martin Elechi as Governor. In 2015, in a military manner, he acquired the ticket of the PDP and emerged the governorship candidate of the party against the Governor’s wish who wanted the former Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu as successor. He didn’t do this alone, his kinsman who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim and other political figures who were against the Governor Elechi from the outset of his government came together and gave him a push towards achieving the ticket of the party. Umahi overtly or covertly won the election. He did his second term in 2019 and handed over to his successor, Rt Hon. Francis Nwifuru of the APC. In 2021, Umahi in a surprising move dumped the PDP for the APC. In 2023, he manipulated his way into the Senate, result of which suggested that he bought his way into the hallowed chamber of the Nigerian Senate. The election was said to have been glaringly won by the Labour Party’s Senatorial candidate, Hon. Linus Okorie, while David Umahi came a distant 4th position. It was alleged that he offered the INEC returning officer the sum of N100 million to plot the inordinate graph in his favour. He was also said to have issued a plot of land at the state’s hallowed Estate inside the Government House in Abakaliki to the returning officer. Today, he was announced Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.
The office of the Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate is a very silent one. He’s only expected to function when the Majority Leader isn’t around to perform duties of the Majority Leader. The Majority Leader of the Senate is a very important one as the occupant is the one whom Constitution and standing rules of the Senate empower to act as middleman between the Senate and the party in power at the centre. He’s also the one who presents executive bills at floor of the Senate. Executive bills are bills sponsored by the Federal Government or President himself. Such bills are passed through the office of the Majority Leader to present to the Senate. He reports to the party in power the workings of the Senate from time to time.
The Senate Majority Leader also organises the activities of the Senate on the floor of the Senate, ensures that members of the Senate are given what’s due them and leads proceedings of the Senate. He’s responsible for other roles that may be assigned to him by the President of the Senate. It’s in the absence of the Leader that his deputy, Sen. David Umahi can act. So long as the Leader is available at all material times, the deputy has no assigned role to perform on a regular basis.
The benefits of being a Principal Officer of the Senate are quite enormous depending on the strength of the position as Principal Officer. As Principal Officer, you have increased number of aides that will be taken care of by the Senate itself. You are assigned special security orderlies. You receive heightened renumeration par allowance. You receive greater opportunity of slots in terms of recruitment, promotions and allied issues of national interest. Additional vehicles are made available for members of the Principal Offices. They also occupy the front row of seats at the Senate and given juicy committees to chair. They determine who gets what and how at the Senate. They are the stakeholders of the Senate among other benefits. 