The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has intervened in the crisis threatening the position of Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, following mounting opposition within the caucus.
Naijaonpoint gathered that Abbas on Monday night joined a closed-door meeting of opposition lawmakers, a session he ordinarily would not attend, and pleaded for calm after several members insisted that Chinda must be removed..
The meeting, which started at about 8 p.m. and stretched until 11:30 p.m., grew tense after lawmakers expressed anger that Chinda had obtained a court order restraining opposition parties from removing him.
A source who spoke with The Cable said, “Abbas is not part of the caucus, but because of the seriousness of the issue, he came. He begged that Chinda should be allowed to explain himself.”
Chinda, a PDP lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, Rivers State, and a close ally of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been accused of complacency and of allowing his ties with the ruling APC to weaken the opposition bloc.
Lawmakers stated that Chinda had failed to convene any caucus meeting since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, eroding confidence in his leadership abilities.
The order, granted by the Federal High Court in Abuja, restrained all parties, including the National Assembly, Speaker Abbas, the PDP, LP, NNPP, APGA, SDP, ADC, and YPP, from removing him pending the determination of a motion on notice.
Defending himself during the stormy session, Chinda explained that his decision to seek the injunction was for “self-preservation” and not an attack on colleagues.
“He told them it is only a tree that will hear it is about to be cut down and still stand. He said going to court was to buy time for him to explain himself and get their understanding,” an insider revealed.
Chinda also pleaded that his removal would “rubbish” his political career, citing the example of former Speaker Patricia Etteh, whose ouster was later weaponised against her.
According to insiders, lawmakers from the north are united in calling for Chinda’s removal, while southern members remain split.
One source said, “Lawmakers from Oyo and some other southern states want him removed, but the south-east tried to rally support for a vote of confidence in Chinda. That did not succeed because they couldn’t gather enough backing.”
The caucus was reportedly set to act immediately on Monday night, but stood down after Speaker Abbas pleaded for more time.
A source said Abbas appealed to the lawmakers for Chinda to be granted a one-week reprieve to address members’ grievances.
The source said, “The lawmakers were ready to act that night, but out of respect for the speaker, they agreed to give him time.”
On Tuesday, Abbas read a letter from Chinda inviting opposition lawmakers to a caucus meeting.
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