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Samuel Ogidan
Majority of the lawmakers from Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), People Redemption Party (PRP), Labour Party (LP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Accord Party on Wednesday submitted the signed nomination of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere to the Speaker ahead of the expected announcement.
An overwhelming 61 out of 81 minority lawmakers settled for Ugochinyere as the new Minority Leader designate to fill the seat that is presently vacant.
The vacancy was announced by the Speaker following the decampment of the former occupant, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where he emerged as the APC Rivers governorship candidate.
From the documents sighted by our reporter, the majority of the lawmakers of the minority parties cutting across the entire minority bloc, namely ADC, NDC, APP, PRP, LP, APGA, APM, ACCORD and SDP, and across tribal, religious and zonal political lines voluntarily settled for Ikenga as their preferred choice.
From available information, the lawmakers today submitted the official nomination of the new Minority Leader designate, Ikenga, to the Speaker in line with the tradition of the parliament, which is stated clearly under the new Rule Book of the House of Representatives, Order 7, Rule 7, which provides that members shall elect among themselves the Minority Leader to lead them.
Some of the lawmakers, who spoke to us anonymously, expressed confidence that the Speaker, as an unbiased leader, will swiftly make the announcement so that the minority can have its leadership in the next few days and also that the parliament can be fully constituted with the minority fully represented.
The lawmakers said they have also settled for nominees to fill the vacant positions of Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Leader, with one of the positions already taken by an NDC member from the North West. After ongoing harmonisation, the remaining list will be sent to the Speaker within the next few days for announcement.
The lawmakers said they settled for Ikenga because of his excellent legislative record, three years out of his four-year term, during which he sponsored and moved over 40 bills, motions and petitions, in addition to his four years as Senior Adviser to the Senate President, all of which have established him as a qualified candidate for the job.
They said that the power to choose rests with the majority of the minority members, and that power has now been exercised, adding that any sentimental arguments will not change the decision of the minority lawmakers, who have overwhelmingly settled for one of their own.
They noted that, in the past, Sen. Akpabio was elected Senate Minority Leader after only three weeks in parliament, and that many others have been elected to top parliamentary positions with fewer years of experience.
They added that even when the PDP zoned the speakership to the South West for Mulikat, the lawmakers elected Tambuwal and Ihedioha; when the APC zoned the Senate Presidency to the North East, the senators elected Sen. Saraki and Ekweremadu; and Dogara was elected after the position had been tipped for the South West. Parliament, they stressed, is rooted in the principle of majority decision and not sentiment. The lawmakers said their choice of Ugochinyere, with three years of legislative experience for a four-year job, is more than enough.
The names of the 61 opposition federal lawmakers who selected Ikenga as the Minority Leader designate are as follows:
1. Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere (Ikeagwuonu O. Ugochinyere) – APP – Imo
2. Hon. Aliyu Mustapha Abdullahi – ADC – Kaduna
3. Hon. Aniekwe Peter Udogalanya – NDC – Anambra
4. Hon. Shehu Dalhatu – PDP – Katsina
5. Hon. Aliyu Bappa Misau – APM – Bauchi
6. Hon. Matthew Nwogu – APP – Imo
7. Hon. Ojo Sunday Makanjuola – APM – Oyo
8. Hon. Anthony Adepoju – APM – Oyo
9. Hon. Isah Bello Ambarura – ADC – Sokoto
10. Hon. Sani Yakubu Noma – ADC – Kebbi
11. Hon. Umar Mukhtar Zakari – NDC – Kano
12. Hon. Adamu Sani Wakili – NDC – Kano
13. Hon. Datti Yusuf Umar – NDC – Kano
14. Hon. Abdulhakeem Kamilu Ado – NDC – Kano
15. Hon. Philip Agbese – LP – Benue
16. Hon. Dahiru Abubakar Sarki – SDP – Nasarawa
17. Hon. Thaddeus Attah – NDC – Lagos
18. Hon. Gwacham Maureen Chinwe – APGA – Anambra
19. Hon. Obinna Aguocha – LP – Abia
20. Hon. Nnabuife Chinwe Clara – APGA – Anambra
21. Hon. Peter Ifeanyi Uzokwe – NDC – Anambra
22. Hon. Emeka Idu Godwin Obiajulu – NDC – Anambra
23. Hon. Oyedeji Najimdeen Oyeshina – APM – Oyo
24. Hon. Joshua Obika – NDC – FCT
25. Hon. Okonkwo Uchenna Harris – NDC – Anambra
26. Hon. Oluwande George – NDC – Lagos
27. Hon. Jesse Okey-Joe Onuakalusi – NDC – Lagos
28. Hon. Oladebo Lanre Omoleye – ACCORD – Osun
29. Hon. Mudashiru Lukman Alani – ACCORD – Osun
30. Hon. Mani Maishinko Katami – ADC – Sokoto
31. Hon. Usman Basiru – ADC – Sokoto
32. Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa – LP – Abia
33. Hon. Alexanda Ifeanyi Ikwechegh – LP – Abia
34. Hon. Omoruyi Murphy Osaro – NDC – Edo
35. Hon. Aliyu Aminu Garu – APM – Bauchi
36. Hon. Auwalu Abdu Gwalabe – APM – Bauchi
37. Hon. Hashimu Adamu – APM – Bauchi
38. Hon. Akanni Clement Ademola – ACCORD – Osun
39. Hon. Adewale Morufu Adebayo – ACCORD – Osun
40. Hon. Adetunji Abidemi Olusoji – ACCORD – Osun
41. Hon. Okafor Dominic Ifeanyi – APGA – Anambra
42. Hon. Onwusibe Ginger Obinna – LP – Abia
43. Hon. Zubairu Bashir Usman – ADC – Kaduna
44. Hon. Abdulmaleek A. Danga – PDP – Kogi
45. Hon. Oluwaseyi Ayopo Sowumi – NDC – Lagos
46. Hon. Madawaki Dahiru – PDP – Jigawa
47. Hon. Sani Ibrahim Tanko – APM – Bauchi
48. Hon. Umar Yusuf Yabo – ADC – Sokoto
49. Hon. El-Rufai Mohammed Bello – ADC – Kaduna
50. Hon. Ajilo Umar Shehu – ADC – Kaduna
51. Hon. Yahaya Suleiman Richifa – ADC – Kaduna
52. Hon. Gana Joshua Audu – PDP – Niger
53. Hon. Abel David Fuoh – PDP – Taraba
54. Hon. Sani Lawal – ADC – Katsina
55. Hon. Fola Oyekunle – APM – Oyo
56. Hon. Amobi Ogah – LP – Abia
57. Hon. Adamu Yakubu – PDP – Jigawa
58. Hon. Abdullahi El Rasheed – ADC – Gombe
59. Hon. Engr. Esosa Iyame – NDC – Edo
60. Hon. Bala Rabiu – PDP – Bauchi
61. Hon. Abubakar Baba Zango – ADC – Adamawa