Abiru said: “The Southern Senators’ Forum is to champion the cause of Nigeria and Nigerians.”
By Jeffrey Agbo
Fifty-one senators from the 17 southern states, on Wednesday, met to revive their forum by electing six executive members under the chairmanship of Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East).
This comes 24 hours after Senator Abdul Ningi resigned as chairman of Northern Senators’ Forum following his suspension from the Senate for three months over budget padding claims.
The southern senators met at the Conference Room of the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central).
Briefing the press during the meeting, Bamidele said Abiru, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, emerged as the chairman of the Southern Senators’ Forum.
Abiru said the association would partner with the Northern Senators’ Forum to move the country forward.
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Abiru said: “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 Northern Senators’ Forum to move the country forward.”
The Lagos East Senator said the forum would soon roll out its plans for the betterment of the region and Nigeria.
Abiru said: “The last leadership has transferred power to us. We’ve been running the forum as if we don’t exist. The present leader of the Senate was the leader of the Southern Senators’ Forum. He was too engaged on other issues but we now have new leadership which is headed by me.”
Vice-chairman of the forum is Senator Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), the secretary is Mpigi Barinada (PDP, Rivers South East), the public relations officer (PRO) of the forum is Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) while Kenneth Eze (APC, Ebonyi Central) emerged as the treasurer of the forum.
