Majority of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives, numbering 61, have endorsed Imo lawmaker, Ikenga Ugochinyere, as the next Minority Leader of the House, following the vacancy created by the defection of former Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The lawmakers, drawn from several opposition parties represented in the House, are said to have formally submitted Ugochinyere’s nomination to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, for ratification and announcement in line with parliamentary procedures.
According to documents made available to journalists on Wednesday, 61 out of the 81 opposition members in the House signed the nomination, giving the Imo lawmaker overwhelming backing across party, regional and religious lines.
The vacancy in the minority leadership emerged after Chinda, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, defected to the APC and subsequently emerged as the ruling party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State in the 2027 governorship election.
Sources within the opposition caucus said the decision to rally behind Ugochinyere followed extensive consultations among lawmakers from the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Peoples Redemption Party, Action Peoples Party, Allied Peoples Movement, Social Democratic Party and Accord Party.
The lawmakers argued that their action was consistent with the provisions of the House Rules, which empower minority members to choose their leadership.
According to them, “the House of Representatives Standing Orders, particularly Order 7, Rule 7, provide that members of the minority caucus shall elect among themselves those who will occupy minority leadership positions.”
