Mr Fred Agbedi (PDP), lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has described the nomination of Mr Ndudi Elumelu as Minority House Leader in the 9th National Assembly as an “imposition by the APC caucus.’’
Agbedi said on Monday in Port Harcourt that the move would not stand.
According to him, the House had followed due process in their choice of Kingsley Chinda, (Obio/Akpor) Federal Constituency as its Minority Leader and would reject anything short of that agreement.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, last week, named Ndudi Elumelu as the House Minority Leader, a situation the PDP refused to accept.
Agbedi claimed that the minority parties had followed due process and adopted Mr Kingsley Chinda representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency and would not accept Ndudi Elumelu representing Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency as announced by the Speaker.
“PDP and other minority parties had followed due process, we had series of meetings and we ratified the nomination of our Minority Leader, Mr Kingsley Chinda, so when the Speaker said that some persons signed documents, we really do not know where they did that.
“As far as I’m concerned, Mr Speaker and his APC caucus are trying to impose leadership on the minority which will not happen.
“Whatever guise they intend using, it will not stand and we have made our position known to them.
“PDP, as a majority in the minority have done the needful as requested by law on the choice of Chinda for the position of a Minority Leader, such should be respected in the interest of peace,’’ he said.
The lawmaker also said that the decision by the Speaker was equally rejected by some members of the APC in the House.
“A fraction of APC members were very angry with what Mr Speaker did because they all know that it was the responsibility of the minority parties to chose its leader and not for the Speaker to interfere, it’s not Mr Speaker’s responsibility,’’ he said.
