THE senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, on Tuesday, emerged as Senate Minority Leader.
Moro, a two-term senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), was nominated by the opposition party in the red chamber and was subsequently affirmed.
He takes over from Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon from Plateau North Senatorial District who was removed by the Court of Appeal.
The Senate had earlier zoned the position to the North Central. Senator Mwadkwon, though a first-timer in the Senate, was nominated by the minority caucus.
Recall the newly elected Minority Leader was a former Minister of Interior during ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
It will be recalled that a Federal High court sitting in Abuja had on 7th April 2022 discharged and acquitted Mr Moro, but convicted a former permanent secretary of the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on 11 May 2016, arraigned Moro alongside Daniel-Nwobia; an ex-director in the ministry, Felix Alayebami, and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.
They were arraigned on an 11-counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering in the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, while delivering a ruling in a no-case submission by the defendants, discharged and acquitted Dretex Tech Nigeria Ltd.
The judge also discharged Moro of criminal charges brought against him by the EFCC.
He held that the anti-corruption agency failed to establish ingredients of fraud that could link the lawmaker with the alleged offence.
Justice Dimgba, while discharging Moro from the alleged fraud aspect of the recruitment, however, ordered him to defend himself on the public procurement aspect of the charges.
Eighteen-Eleven Media