After 29 days of break to allow for allocation of offices and the Sallah celebration, senators are expected to resume tomorrow to face the challenges of legislating for the country and ensuring good governance for Nigerians.

Recall that soon after Senator Akpabio emerged PresidentoftheSenateon Tuesday, June 13, he set up a15- member welfare committee, led by SenatorIsah Jibrin, APC,Kogi East, toallocate offices and seats at the hallowed chamber in accordancewith the Standing Orders and ranking.

As senators resume tomorrow, the fight for those to become the principalofficers for both the majority and minority parties would now be taken to the NationalAssembly.

Though the issue of who become the principalofficers is purelya party affair, recentdevelopmentshave shown both internal and externalinfluence in the matter, just as what playedout in thecase of House of Representativesin the 9th NationalAssemblywhen the PeoplesDemocraticParty, PDP wrote to the then speaker, Femi Gbajiabiamila, submitting the nameof Chinda Kingsley, but the speaker tricked the PDP and announcedNdudi Elumelu as the minorityleader.

In the Senate,the principal office positions for the ruling AllProgressivesCongress,APC, are the majorityleader; chief whip; deputy leader; anddeputy whip, while the oppositionpartieshave the minority leader; minority whip; deputy minority leader and deputy minority whip.

With the inaugurationof the 10th Senate,the ruling APC has 59 senators; PDP, 36; Labour Party, LP, eight; New NigeriaPeoplesParty, NNPP, two; SocialDemocraticParty, SDP, two; andAll ProgressivesGrand Alliance,APGA andYoung ProgressivesParty, YPP, one each.

With the composition, the six oppositionpoliticalparties have altogether50 senators as against APC’s 59.

It is expected that the APC would forwardtothe Senate, names of the principalofficers and thosein the race for the Senateleader are former Senate leader, SenatorAli Ndume, APC, Borno South; Senator OpeyemiBamidele,APC, EkitiCentral; and SenatorAbdulfatai Buhari, APC, Oyo North.

In the case of the Minorityleader, it is a battle of wit between the PDP, former Vice Presidentialand the party’s presidential candidatein theFebruary 25 election,Atiku Abubakar on one hand and the immediatepast governorof Rivers State, NyesomWike, on the other. (Vanguard)