From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Amidst rising tension over principal officers position in the Senate minority caucus, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) National Working Committee ( NWC) would meet with its members today to forge a common front.
The meeting which is coming ahead of the July 4 resumption of plenary by the National Assembly is geared at stalling alleged moves by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Senate leadership to infiltrate the Minority Caucus to impose a pliable leadership on it.
There have been reports of alleged attempts by the Senate leadership to impose a leadership on the Senate minority caucus. However, the PDP senators had vowed to resist it.
Multiple sources at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja said the NWC has been holding talks with its senators and those of other minorities party to ensure a firm minority leadership that meets the expectation of Nigerians.
One of the sources, a top party official said, “ the meeting will provide the platform for senators to, among themselves, resolve issues of contestations and streamline distribution of positions among themselves while taking the interest of other minority parties into consideration.
“The NWC has being doing a lot behind the scene to ensure a firm minority leadership in both chambers of the National Assembly. The NWC has been holding talks with our senators and House of Representatives members.
“Monday’s meeting is to smoothen out some rough edges and resolve some few gray areas so that the party and our lawmakers can speak with one voice on the issue of minority leadership in the National Assembly.”
Another source accused the Senate leadership of desperation to divide the minority caucus so as to weaken opposition in the chamber.
“As you are aware, by the Rules of the Senate, the responsibility to choose the minority leadership is exclusively on the Senators of the minority parties. The rules does not confer the APC-led leadership any role to play in the election of minority leadership.
“The Senate president, by the rules, has no role to play except to read out the name sent to him by the minority caucus.
He has no powers to read any other list except the ones sent in to him by the Minority Caucus. I believe that the Senate president is appropriately guided. He is an experienced politician and we expect him the be guided by rules. Anything short that adherence to the rules will be resisted by us.”