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…..LP, NNPP to produce deputy minority leader, deputy minority whip
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
There are indications that the member of the House of Representatives representing Obi Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda has been endorsed by opposition lawmakers for position of minority leader in the 10th House.
Saturday Sun gathered that Chinda was endorsed at a meeting of minority lawmakers, in Abuja on Thursday night. A lawmaker, who attended the meeting but would not want his name in print, confirmed the endorsement of Chinda, saying “that is absolutely correct.”
Chinda, an ally of the former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike was nominated by the PDP to serve as minority leader in the 9th House. Regardless, the immediate past speaker, Femi Gbjabimiala, had named Ndudi Elumelu as minority leader.
Nevertheless, it was gathered that lawmakers from the South West are insisting that it is the turn of the zone to produce the minority leader, as the South-South where Chinda hails from has occupied the seat for eight consecutive years.
In the aftermath of the inauguration of the 10th assembly, minority lawmakers shifted their focus to the contest for the minority leadership. Although there are
a total of seven political parties, including the PDP, Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA), Social Democratic Party ( SDP), Young Progressives Congress ( YPP) and African Democratic Congress ( ADC), that won seats in the House of Representatives, the PDP as the party with more opposition lawmakers, is expected to produce the minority leader.
Prior to Chinda’s endorsement, Wole Oke, who is from Osun State in South West, Bamidele Salam, also from Osun State and Idem Unyime (Akwa Ibom, South) were eyeing the position of minority leader. Last week, the PDP South West caucus in the House, in a letter addressed to the opposition party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagun, and signed by Salam, Oke and 13 others, urged the party leadership to cede the position of House leader to the zone.
The lawmakers, in their letter noted that the opposition lawmakers in the House has agreed that the position of House leader should be zoned to the Southern part of the country.
An opposition lawmaker elected on the platform of the Labour Party, told Saturday Sun that the PDP would also produce the minority whip. The lawmaker, who did not want his name mentioned, explained that with the power sharing formula adopted by the opposition lawmakers, the Labour Party will produce the deputy minority leader, while the NNPP would produce the deputy minority whip.
He added: “We have already settled for George Ozodinobi as our choice for deputy minority leader.” However, the PDP choice for minority whip and NNPP nominee for the deputy minority whip positions could not be ascertained, as at press time.
