Members-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party and other opposition parties have formed an alliance to determine the leadership of the parliament ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly. The opposition lawmakers insist they have the numbers to override the ruling All Progressives Party’s plans and do whatever they want.
At their meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the lawmakers-elect fine-tuned strategies for using their numbers as bargaining power in negotiations with the speakership aspirants. The opposition parties plan to unite to influence the election of the 10th House of Representatives leadership.
Jibrin, a Nigerian lawmaker, won his re-election bid for the 10th House of Representatives on the NNPP platform. He was previously a member of the APC but left the party to join the coalition of minority parties known as the “Greater Majority.” The caucus, consisting of the PDP, LP, NNPP, APGA, ADC, SDP, and YPP, has expressed its commitment to stand firm for the overall benefit of the people, while protecting the individual ideas and philosophies of the parties.
According to sources, the coalition may have the power to wrest control from the ruling party. With the APC winning 162 seats and the opposition parties having a total of 163 seats, the coalition has a chance to form a majority after the supplementary elections. The results of these elections, scheduled for April 15, will determine the final outcome.
Meanwhile, the PDP and LP confirmed their support for their members-elect contesting for leadership positions in the federal parliament, and the PDP is in talks with other political parties to secure their support for the speakership position.
According to Bala Ibrahim, the APC Director of Publicity, the party is fully committed to ensuring a seamless transition between the 9th and 10th Assembly. He dismissed claims of any chaos or disorder, stating that the party is in complete control of the situation. However, he expressed concern about false information and fake news that is being spread to create unnecessary tension.
In a similar vein, the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, urged party members to avoid a repeat of the 2015 situation when Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara worked with the opposition PDP to emerge as Senate President and Speaker of the House respectively.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, emphasized that the House Rule clearly defines the majority status as being based on the number of members from a single party, rather than a coalition of minority parties. While he acknowledged the possibility of minority parties forming a caucus with minority leadership, he stated that this could not be used to determine the Speaker, based on the House Rule.
