The senators stated in a statement that they jointly signed on Saturday that some individuals both inside and outside the Senate chamber are planning to generate a crisis among the minority parties in order to reduce their position in the upper house. The senators said this strategy was revealed in the statement.

Mohammed Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central), Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South), and Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) are the senators who have signed the declaration.

Other candidates are Abba Moro (PDP), Ezenwa Onyewuchi (PDP), Sumaila Kawu (NNPP), and Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP), all of whom are running for Benue North, Imo East, Kano South, and Anambra South respectively.

"It has come to the notice of the Minority Political Parties in the Senate of an attempt by forces inside and outside the Senate to divide the minority parties and foist a pliant and compromised leadership on them," the statement said. "This attempt has come to the attention of the Minority Political Parties in the Senate."

The senators emphasized that they have all committed to working with and supporting the senate leadership that is led by Godswill Akpabio, and they advised against generating a crisis within the parties that are in the minority.

"We have committed ourselves to working together with the newly elected leadership of the Senate and the Executive branch in order to provide the people of Nigeria with effective governance. As a result, we feel it necessary to issue the following advice and caution: they should not assist any party, whether it be one from inside or one from outside the Senate, in their efforts to fracture and destabilize the minority parties and the institution of the Senate.

Also Read: How Akpabio, Abbas Floored Opponents In The 10th NASS Leadership

"Senators of the minority parties would meet when the Senate reconvenes and, in consultation with our respective political parties, would select its leaders without undue interference from anti-democratic forces within or outside the Senate," the statement continued. "This would be done without interference from anti-democratic forces within or outside the Senate."
The senators pointed out that the parties that make up the minority in the 10th Senate have not yet reached a decision regarding who will hold the office of minority leader.

"Just so there is no room for confusion, no senator has been endorsed or chosen for any minority position as this would await the due process as agreed upon by all minority parties in their most recent meeting. Any attempt to impose a dictatorship by a single party would be met with resistance and would be unsuccessful.
"We call on all members of the minority political parties to work together in unity to defend the democratic institution of the Senate and Nigeria as a whole," the statement read.

In the tenth Senate, there are a total of 50 opposition seats distributed among six parties. PDP, LP, SDP, NNPP, APGA, and YPP are their respective names. There are 59 seats held by the APC.

It's possible that the purported move to impose a compliant minority leader isn't completely unrelated to the fact that the APC has to make it easier for its decisions and the decisions of the executive branch to be passed through the upper chamber.