Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru and Senator Victor Umeh have emerged as the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Southern Senators Forum respectively.
The 51 Senators from 17 southern states, who met on Wednesday to revive the forum, also elected six executives under Abiru’s chairmanship.
Barely 24 hours after a dramatic plenary culminating into the suspension of the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdul Ningi, Southern Senators have revived their forum, electing Senator Adetokunbo Abiru representing Lagos East, as Chairman.
The inauguration of Abiru who replaces the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as well as the Vice Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh representing Anambra, 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, explaining that he was unable to provide the required leadership because of his new role as the Senate Majority Leader.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed leader of the forum, Abiru, has promised that the forum would serve as a cohesive tool to foster healthy discussions and analysis of national issues, and work with the Northern Senators Forum to advance the country’s fortunes.
The vice chairman of the forum is Sen Victor Umeh (Anambra Central); the Secretary is Mpigi Barinada (Rivers South East), the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the forum is Asuquo Ekpenyong (Rivers South) while Kenneth Eze (Ebonyi Central) emerged as the treasurer of the forum.