![Ikenga Ugochinyere [Photo Credit@The Guardian Nigeria News]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2024/11/Ikenga-Imo-Ugochinyere-.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1)
Some opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have nominated Ikenga Ugochinyere (APP, Imo) as the Minority Leader of the House, following the vacancy created by the defection of Kingsley Chinda to the ruling APC.
The development comes a day after Speaker Abbas Tajudeen formally announced the vacancy during plenary, following Mr Chinda’s resignation from the minority leadership position after emerging as the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State.
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Documents obtained by journalists on Wednesday indicate that 61 of the 81 opposition members in the House endorsed Mr Ugochinyere for the position and have submitted their nomination to the Speaker ahead of an expected announcement on the leadership of the minority caucus.
The lawmakers drawn from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Coalition (NDC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Labour Party (LP), Action People’s Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Accord Party said their decision reflected the preference of the majority of opposition lawmakers in the chamber.
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According to the lawmakers, their nomination was in line with Order 7 Rule 7 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, which provides that members of the minority parties shall elect among themselves a leader to coordinate their activities in the chamber.
They argued that the position of minority leader is determined by the collective decision of opposition lawmakers and not by sentiments, regional considerations or party pressure.
The lawmakers cited Mr Ugochinyere’s legislative record as one of the reasons for backing his candidacy. They noted that since his election into the House in 2023, he has sponsored and moved more than 40 bills, motions and petitions.
They also pointed to his previous experience as a senior adviser to a former senate president as evidence of his preparedness for the role.
Defending the choice, the lawmakers dismissed concerns about legislative seniority, noting that several lawmakers had occupied top parliamentary positions despite having spent relatively short periods in the legislature.
They referenced the emergence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio as Senate minority leader shortly after entering the National Assembly in 2015 and recalled previous leadership contests in which lawmakers voted against party zoning arrangements to elect their preferred candidates.
According to them, parliamentary democracy is guided by majority decisions, adding that the endorsement of Mr Ugochinyere by more than three-quarters of opposition lawmakers demonstrates broad support across party, regional and religious lines.
The lawmakers who endorsed Mr Ugochinyere include: Aliyu Abdullahi (ADC, Kaduna), Peter Udogalanya (NDC, Anambra), Shehu Dalhatu (PDP, Katsina), Aliyu Misau (APM, Bauchi), Matthew Nwogu (APP, Imo), Ojo Makanjuola (APM, Oyo), Anthony Adepoju (APM, Oyo), Isah Ambarura (ADC, Sokoto), Sani Noma (ADC, Kebbi), Umar Zakari and (NDC, Kano), Adamu Wakili (NDC, Kano),
Others are Datti Umar (NDC, Kano), Abdulhakeem Ado (NDC, Kano), Philip Agbese (LP, Benue), Dahiru Sarki (SDP, Nasarawa), Thaddeus Attah (NDC, Lagos), Maureen Gwacham (APGA, Anambra) and Obinna Aguocha (LP, Abia).
Chinwe Nnabuife (APGA, Anambra), Ifeanyi Uzokwe (NDC, Anambra), Emeka Obiajulu (NDC, Anambra), Najimdeen Oyedeji (APM, Oyo), Joshua Obika (NDC, FCT), Uchenna Okonkwo (NDC, Anambra), George Oluwande (NDC, Lagos), Jesse Onuakalusi (NDC, Lagos), Lanre Omoleye (Accord, Osun), Lukman Alani (Accord, Osun), Mani Katami (ADC, Sokoto), Usman Basiru (ADC, Sokoto) and Okwara Osonwa (LP, Abia) also endorsed Mr Ugochinyere.
The list also includes Ifeanyi Ikwechegh (LP, Abia), Murphy Omoruyi (NDC, Edo), Aliyu Garu (APM, Bauchi), Auwalu Gwalabe (APM, Bauchi), Hashimu Adamu (APM, Bauchi), Clement Akanni (Accord, Osun), Morufu Adewale (Accord, Osun), Abidemi Adetunji (Accord, Osun), Dominic Okafor (APGA, Anambra), Ginger Onwusibe (LP, Abia), Zubairu Usman (ADC, Kaduna), Abdulmaleek Danga (PDP, Kogi) and Ayopo Sowumi (NDC, Lagos).
Also among the signatories are Dahiru Madawaki (PDP, Jigawa), Sani Tanko (APM, Bauchi), Umar Yabo (ADC, Sokoto), Mohammed El-Rufai (ADC, Kaduna), Umar Ajilo (ADC, Kaduna), Suleiman Richifa (ADC, Kaduna), Joshua Gana (PDP, Niger), David Fuoh (PDP, Taraba), Sani Lawal (ADC, Katsina), Fola Oyekunle (APM, Oyo), Amobi Ogah (LP, Abia), Adamu Yakubu (PDP, Jigawa), Abdullahi El-Rasheed (ADC, Gombe), Esosa Iyame (NDC, Edo), Bala Rabiu (PDP, Bauchi) and Abubakar Zango (ADC, Adamawa).
In all, 61 opposition lawmakers endorsed Mr Ugochinyere’s nomination. The nomination now awaits formal consideration and announcement by the speaker as the House moves to fill the vacant minority leadership position.
Opposition
However, not all members of the minority caucus are aligned with the endorsement of Mr Ugochinyere, as internal disagreements over the process and the criteria for leadership selection continue to surface.
Speaking anonymously, a member of the caucus who opposed the endorsement told PREMIUM TIMES that the decision reflects deeper dissatisfaction within the opposition bloc over the performance of the outgoing minority leadership structure.
According to the member of the PDP from one of the stares in the North-west, frustration had built up over the past three years, culminating in what he described as a breakdown of confidence in the minority leadership desk.
“A lot of members are not happy in the last three years. The minority desk did not live up to expectations. There’s a lot of frustration in the House so new members just gathered themselves together and said, look, we must do what we want,” he said.
He argued that the process leading to Mr Ugochinyere’s endorsement may have run contrary to the House Standing Rules, particularly the requirement around “cognate” experience for certain leadership positions.
He explained that the interpretation of cognate experience, under parliamentary practice, often refers to lawmakers returning for another term, a standard he said was central to the ongoing dispute.
“The Standing Rules say you must be cognate and who is to define that cognate is the Speaker. Cognate means you are coming back for another term. That is the problem,” he said.
The lawmaker further alleged that the move reflected broader dissatisfaction within the National Assembly, describing it as a collective pushback against the existing leadership arrangement rather than a purely procedural decision.
“The truth is that the whole National Assembly members are not happy, so it’s a gang-up against the leadership,” he added.
He also suggested that uncertainty over succession following Mr Chinda’s departure may have influenced the urgency of the endorsement.
“Now, why they did this, he is thinking that Chinda has left, maybe the leadership will just come and impose somebody, which is not so,” he said.
Consultations ongoing
The lawmaker, however, insisted that consultations are still ongoing and that a final resolution on minority leadership was expected soon.
“We are working with the speaker to round up everything this weekend, then a new leadership will emerge next week, by God’s grace,” he said.
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