PDP Reps-Elect Set Up Committee To Upstage APC In Speaker’s Race

The opposition caucus in the House of Representatives led by arrowheads in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have laid out plans to upstage the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the speaker’s race by fielding candidates for speaker and deputy speaker of the 10^th House.

The caucus, under the aegis of ‘Greater Majority’, rose from a crucial meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday night with a resolution to field candidates for the position of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.

The membership of the caucus is drawn from the main opposition parties: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Young People’s Party (YPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP).

Daily Trust reports that the opposition parties have the majority in the Green Chamber with 180 representatives, while APC has 178. Two seats; one in Akwa Ibom and another in Ondo states, are pending.

As part of the strategy to upstage the APC, the caucus resolved to set up an 11-man committee “to scout for credible and acceptable candidates that would vie for those offices, and then actively seek the unification of Nigerians along ethno-religious lines,” in the PDP orchestrated move to upstage the APC in the speaker’s race.

“The Greater Majority with more than 180 elected members (being over 50% of the elected members) will remain one, indivisible coalition during the 10th National Assembly, with the interest of the country as its driving force,” the caucus stated in its communiqué.

‘We are set to upstage APC’

Speaking further on their plans, the secretary of the caucus, Efosa Imasuen said: “We are more than prepared. As we said in our communiqué, we have more numbers than the APC. We even have some members of the APC who are ready to align with us.

“Yes, we have people from the APC that are ready to align with us because of our style of leadership, our style of governance, our approach to people, and the country. People are in tune with what we are doing.

“That gives us the impetus to think and know that if we vie for this office, we can get it and give Nigerians what they truly want – a sincere government.”

On if they can remain united when the ruling party tries to divide the opposition, the lawmaker said, they are ready for the ruling party’s machinations. On the anticipated zoning by the ruling party, the lawmaker said, the opposition has no business with APC zoning as it will do things its own way.

“We don’t have business with APC’s zoning. We get to understand certain things and how they are not sincere with a lot of things that they say and do. We remember when they said they zoned their presidential ticket to the South but had people like Ahmed Lawan running, and he was even declared the candidate of the APC at a point.

“So, at this juncture, we can’t even take them seriously when they say they are going to zone. It is a fallacy; they keep on deceiving people with that zoning thing.

“So, if you want to zone, be fair. If the APC is talking about zoning, their track record about zoning has not been realistic and is not something that somebody will hold onto,” the PDP rep said over the Speaker’s race.

But a member-elect on the platform of the PDP who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity, said, although the caucus of his party has resolved to field candidates for the speakership position, in conjunction with other opposition parties, he has a preferred candidate in the ruling APC.

“My candidate is Betara and as long as he is in the race, I will support him even if it goes against what was resolved by my caucus. This is my personal stand, and it will not be affected by the collective decision,” he said.

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG