June 4 (THEWILL) — The battle for the position of Minority Leader in the House of Representatives appears to be gathering momentum as Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, has reportedly secured the backing of a majority of opposition lawmakers following the defection of the current Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
THEWILL gathered that 61 out of the 81 opposition lawmakers in the House have endorsed Ugochinyere as the next Minority Leader and formally communicated their decision to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
According to details contained in a letter, the lawmakers urged the House leadership to recognise Ugochinyere as the new leader of the opposition caucus.
The signatories to the nomination letter are said to comprise lawmakers drawn from multiple opposition parties, including the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Accord Party.
However, the nomination process is not without emerging resistance. Sources within the House indicate that some lawmakers are opposed to Ugochinyere’s emergence and are reportedly backing Hon. Frederick Agbedi, the lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, as an alternative candidate.
Those opposed to Ugochinyere’s candidacy are said to be raising concerns over party representation and regional balancing within the opposition leadership structure.
One of the arguments reportedly being advanced is that Ugochinyere belongs to the Action Peoples Party (APP), one of the smallest political parties in the House with only two members, making his emergence contentious in the eyes of some lawmakers.
There are also arguments centred on zoning considerations. Some members insist that because the position became vacant following Chinda’s departure, and considering that Chinda hails from the South-South geopolitical zone, it would be politically appropriate for the position to remain within the same region.
As of press time, no official statement had been issued by the Speaker’s office regarding the nomination, while the reported rival camp supporting Agbedi had yet to publicly announce its position.
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