Exactly Nine months after inauguration of the 10th Senate, the 51 Senators from the 17 Southern States, yesterday, Wednesday, March 13, 2024 met to revive their forum and elected six executive members to pilot the affairs of the forum under the chairmanship of All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, representing Lagos East District.

The Senators, who met at the Conference Room of the Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central) said the Forum, like the Northern Senators' Forum, has been in existence since the 9th Senate and not a newly formed body.

Senator Bamidele, who served as Chairman of the forum during the 9th Senate, said his current position as Leader of the 10th Senate, affected his providing the required leadership the forum needed, hence the change of leadership which took place at meeting.

"What is happening here today is not new as both the Southern and Northern Senators' fora existed even before this 10th Senate. At this meeting of the Southern Senators, new executive members will be announced to steer the affairs of the forum.

According to him, "The new Chairman and other officers of the forum, as unanimously agreed by Southern Senators are, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC Lagos East), Vice Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh (Labour Party, Anambra Central); Secretary is 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, Senator Abiru, in his remarks said the forum would serve as a veritable platform for discussing, analysing and dissecting national issues by Southern Senators for the sole purpose of moving Nigeria forward.

He added that they will partner with the Northern Senators Forum to move the country forward, saying: “This forum, the Southern Senators Forum is to champion the cause of Nigeria and Nigerians. We have our Northern brothers with the Northern Senators Forum. We will work together with the NSF to move the country forward.”

“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.

“Before today, we have been running the forum in this 10th Senate as if we don't exist, but now that the last leadership has transferred power to us, the forum would be made vibrant,” he said.

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