House leadership: Crisis looms as PDP summons Elumelu, Oke, Ikpeazu

…BoT on same page with NWC on list of candidates – Chairman

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Peace in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be threatened as the crack in the party’s Caucus in the House of Representatives widens over selection of minority leadership positions.

Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had during plenary on Wednesday read names of members different from that on the party’s list to fill minority leadership positions.

Consequent upon this development, the party’s National Working Committee has summoned Rep. Ndudi Elumelu, Rep. Wole Oke, Rep. Lynda Ikpeazu, Rep. Anayo Edwin, Rep. Gideon Gwadi, Rep. Toby Okechukwu and Rep. Adekoya Abdul-Majid.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP in its meeting on Thursday, resolved to summon the members to a crucial meeting at the party’s national secretariat today (Friday).

According to Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP spokesperson, “the summons is in line with the provisions of Chapter 10 (57) (3) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

Prior to Thursday’s pronouncement on the floor of the House, the PDP had on Wednesday rejected Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila’s attempt to impose minority leadership on the party.

The party said that it had duly written to the speaker of the House of Representatives, after consultations with other minority members in the House of Representatives, notifying him of members that have been selected for leadership position in the House of Representatives, in line with dictates of the rules and parliamentary practice.

However, to the party’s utter dismay, it said that it discovered that the Speaker attempted to smuggle in names other than those recognised and forwarded to him as the leaders of the Minority in the House of Representatives.

The PDP, in the strongest terms, cautioned against this abuse of rules, parliamentary practices and procedures as well as the convention and urged the Speaker to respect the rules and read the list submitted to him by the leadership of the PDP.

The party’s candidates are Hon. Kingsley Chinda – Minority Leader, Hon. Chukwuka Onyema- Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Yakubu Barde – Minority Whip, and Hon. Muraina Ajibola – Deputy Minority Whip

But Gbajabiamila on Thursday while reading out names of Principal Officers mentioned Ndudi Elumelu as Minority Leader, Toby Okechukwu as Deputy Minority Leader, Gideon Gwari as Minority Chief Whip and Segun Adekoya as Deputy Minority Whip.

Meanwhile, chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walud Jibril, said the BoT stands with the NWC on the decision of the party list.

This was coming on the heels of a rumoured split between the two hierarchy party organs over the House leadership issue.

Senator Jibril said “as a result of the fracas in the House of Representatives during the selection of the PDP Minority principal officers, the BOT and the NWC have decided to intervene immediately by the NWC forwarding the party’s list to the speaker for urgent implementation.

“I want to assure all that the NWC and BOT will continue to work together in order to move the party forward.”