NASS Leadership: PDP rejects Elumelu, insists on Chinda

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted on Kingsley Chinda as its Minority Leader.

The party made this known in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday contrary to the party’s decision, named Ndudi Elumelu as the house Minority Leader.

Mr Elumelu from Delta State was named alongside Toby Okechukwu as Deputy Minority Leader, Gideon Gwani as Minority Whip and Adesegun Adekoya as Deputy Minority Whip.

The action was vehemently rejected by some PDP lawmakers.

The opposition party had in a letter announced Mr Chinda as its nominee for the position of minority leader in the House.

The party also nominated Chukwuka Onyema as Deputy Minority Leader; Yakubu Barde as Minority Whip and Muraina Ajibola as Deputy Minority Whip.

The PDP accused Mr Gbajabiamila of trying to impose leaders on the lawmakers.

“It is instructive to state that the PDP had duly written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, after consultation 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 our utter dismay, the PDP had 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, cautions against this abuse of rules, parliamentary practices and procedures as well as the convention and we urge the Speaker to respect the rules and read the list submitted to him by the leadership of the PDP.”

The party said it stands by the letter it earlier sent to the speaker.