Senators from the South-East, South-West and South-South have revived their forum barely 24 hours after the suspension of their colleague, Abdul Ningi.
News report explains that Ningi, who was the former chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, was suspended for three months for accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of budget padding.
On Wednesday, the southern lawmakers met for the first time on the platform of the Southern Senators Forum to inaugurate the forum nine months after the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
The 51 senators from the 17 southern states, met and elected six executives under the chairmanship of Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC Lagos East).
Other members of the executives are: Vice Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh (Labour Party, Anambra Central), Secretary, Senator Mpigi Barinada ( PDP, Rivers South East), Publicity Secretary, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong ( APC, Cross River North ) and Treasurer, Senator Kenneth Eze ( APC Ebonyi Central).
The inauguration of Abiru who replaces the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as well as the Vice Chairman, Senator Umeh comes nine months after commencement of the 10th Senate.
Bamidele noted that like the northern forum, the southern forum is not new but has been in existence since the 9th Senate.
He said his current position as Leader of the 10th Senate prevented him from providing the required leadership, which has necessitated the change of leadership which took place at the meeting.
‘What is happening here today is not new as both the Southern and Northern Senators’ fora existed even before this 10th Senate,” Bamidele said.
“At this meeting of the Southern senators, new executive members will be announced to steer the affairs of the forum.
“The new chairman as unanimously agreed by Southern Senators is Senator Adetokunbo Abiru ( APC Lagos East), Vice Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh (Labour Party, Anambra Central), Secretary, Senator Mpigi Barinada ( PDP Rivers South East), Publicity Secretary, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC Cross River North ) and Treasurer, Senator Kenneth Eze ( APC Ebonyi Central).”
Accepting his appointment as the new leader of the forum, Abiru said the forum would serve as a veritable platform for discussing, analysing and dissecting national issues by Southern senators for the purpose of moving Nigeria forward.
He added that they would partner with the Northern Senators Forum to move the country forward.
“This forum, the Southern Senators Forum is to champion the course of Nigeria and Nigerians. We have our Northern brothers with the Northern Senators Forum. We will work together with the Northern Senators Forum to move the country forward,” he said.
“We will swing into action and roll out our plans for the betterment of the region and Nigeria. We will map out our plans and work on them for the betterment of Nigeria and Nigerians generally.”