There seems to be no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus of the House of Representatives. The PDP caucus in the House has been fictionalized since the inception of the Ninth assembly.
The division in the 119-man caucus of the opposition party, started prior to the inauguration of the House and election of the presiding officers. Unlike what obtained in the past, the PDP lawmakers had gone to the election of the presiding officers with a divided house.
The opposition party leadership had endorsed Umar Bago, as its preferred choice for the speakership. However, majority of the lawmakers pitched their tents with the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, leading to his victory over Bago, with a wide margin.
The division in the once cohesive, PDP caucus in the Green chamber became more glaring on July 3, when Gbajabiamila announced the minority caucus leadership, comprising the member representing Anaocha /Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta State, Ndudi Elumelu as minority leader; Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader; Gideon Gwani, minority whip and Segun Adekoya, deputy minority whip.
The PDP had, in a letter to the speaker, nominated the member representing Obi/ Akpor Federal Constituency, Kingsley Chinda as minority leader; Chukwuka Onyema, deputy minority leader; Yakubu Barde, minority whip and Muraina Ajibola as deputy minority whip.
Expectedly, all hell was let loose as both PDP lawmakers and their counterparts from other minority parties, as well as All Progressives Congress (APC) members engaged in a free for all on the floor of the House.
In its immediate reaction, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) slammed a one-month suspension on Elumelu, Okechukwu, Gwani and Adekoya and and referred them to the National Disciplinary Committee for further disciplinary actions. .
Also suspended in connection to the emergence of the House minority caucus leadership are Wole Oke, Lynda Ikpeazu and Anayo Edwin.
All the seven members were referred to the PDP National Disciplinary Committee headed by Tom Ikimi for further disciplinary actions. Although the one month suspension has since elapsed, the party is yet to recall them.
Recently , the opposition party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said it has appointed Chinda, Onyema, Barde and Ajibola to lead its caucus in the House.
The party noted that the suspension placed on Elumelu and others for their role in the emergence of the House minority leadership subsists.
“The suspended members of the party cannot therefore conduct any business of the Party at whatever level until disciplinary measures have been concluded….the National Working Committee (NWC) in its wisdom, knowing that nature abhors a vacuum and consistent with its position on the matter which has not changed, directed that the affairs of the PDP Caucus of the House of Representatives be organized and managed by Kingsley Chinda, Yakubu Barde, Chukwuka Onyema and Muraina Ajibola, “ the PDP stated.
It added that: “ our leadership will not reward disloyalty and will not allow anyone other than the party to impose their choices on us with the sole aim of annihilating or stifling the voice of the opposition.”
However, Elumelu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Legal, accused the PDP leadership of seeking to foist a leadership on the caucus.
The Delta-born politician argued that since he was duly elected as the minority leader, in accordance with the rules of the House, he should automatically be leader of the PDP caucus.
He said: “by parliamentary rules, persons so elected become the leaders of the party caucuses in the legislature. While the party can guide their elected members through the zoning of various Minority leadership offices, it is not in the place of the party, by the provisions of the Constitution, House Standing Rule, and parliamentary traditions, to appoint or foist minority or majority caucus leadership on its members.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Minority leadership of the House of Representatives was elected in strict observance of Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Order 7, Rule 8 of the Standing Rule of the House of Representatives.
“The conduct of the lawmakers in choosing their leaders therefore falls within the framework of the spirit, ideals, beliefs and underlining principles of the PDP and our founding fathers, who championed the enthronement of the tenets of democratic practice in Nigeria.”
Consequently, Elumelu noted that the continued suspension of minority leadership by the PDP, four months after their emergence was “curious “ and “oppressive “.
“ Moreover, the endless suspension of loyal party members outside the provisions of the PDP Constitution, 1999 Constitution, and rules of parliament is palpably oppressive,” he stated.
However, a fortnight ago, the crisis assumed a new twist, as the House , following a point of privilege raised by Ben Igbakpa, a PDP member from Rivers State, resolved to refer Chinda, Chukwuka Onyema, Yakubu Barde and Muriana Ajibola to Ethics and Privilege Committee for issuing statements as leaders of the caucus.
Igbaka in his motion said their actions violate section 24 of the Legislative Houses (Power and Privilege) Act, as well as the extant Standing Orders of the House.
The lawmaker, while citing Order 1(1) and ( 2) of the Standing Order of the House, noted: “it is common knowledge that on July 3, 2019 , the Honourable Speaker, in line with Order 7, Rule 8 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (which empowered the minority parties to nominate their leaders), announced the Minority leaders of the House. This was consequently published in the votes and proceedings of the same date.
“Inspite of this, Mr Speaker, some members of this House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, Hon. Chukwuma Onyema, Hon. Umar Barde and Hon Muraina Ajibola parading themselves as PDP Caucus leader, deputy caucus leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip have been issuing public statements outside the nomenclature of this House; misleading the general public and causing confusion and disaffection in the House of Representatives. This is a gross abuse of our collective and individual privileges…I hereby call on this House to investigate this and bring the perpetrators to book.”
Daily Sun reliably gathered that the decision of the House to probe the PDP caucus leadership tussle has further widened the gulf among the PDP lawmakers in the Green chamber, as members are now torn between Elumelu and Chinda.
Chinda, a former chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, told Daily Sun that he has not breached any law by describing himself as PDP caucus leader. The lawmaker noted that it is unusual for political parties to have caucuses in the parliament to defend their interest.
Consequently, he stated that he will continue to refer to himself as the leader of the PDP caucus, until the opposition party decides otherwise.
“ No right of any member has been infringed by our operations as the PDP caucus leaders, which consent, we got from the PDP…But for me, if the PDP says, step down as the PDP caucus leader, I will do so very willingly. So, I still remain and address myself as the PDP caucus leader,” Chinda stated.
The former Public Accounts chairman faulted Elumelu’s stance that as minority leader, he should be the PDP caucus leader, stating that the latter’s argument was not tenable.
“ Let him(Elumelu) also tell us that the minority leader leads the caucus of the minority parties; because in the House today, you have caucuses that exist, other parties’ caucuses.
“ Moreso, accepting, without conceding that we agreed to make him the PDP caucus leader, can a suspended member lead the caucus? Will he be leading the PDP caucus from suspension. That is accepting, without conceding.
Regardless, Elumelu, while responding to question on the PDP caucus leadership, at a press briefing, yesterday, maintained that by convention, he remains the PDP caucus leader. The minority leader said he would not speak more on the matter as it is already before the Ethics and Privileges Committee.
He said: “Whether you are speaker coming from a particular political party and you are elected, automatically you are the leader of that party. In the same vein, having been elected as the minority leader or leader of the opposition, of course as at today, if you go to INEC, my form is PDP, that is by the way.
Read Also: Europe’s Prisons Failing To Monitor Inmates’ Health: WHO
“But I don’t want to go further to talk about it, because currently, it is in the Ethics and Privileges committees. Whatever I say now will affect or favour. Let us leave it like that. Ethics and privilege will do their work, by the time they bring it back, you will be given first hand information as to what had happened.”
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, told Daily Sun that, Elumelu is the minority leader, does not mean other minority caucuses cannot have their own leaders.
“ It doesn’t stop the ADC from having its own caucus. It doesn’t stop the SDP from having it’s own caucus. It doesn’t stop the PRP from having it’s own caucus. Chinda is the leader of PDP caucus.
“ The party has not said that Chinda is the leader of the minority parties. The PDP has said Chinda is the leader of its own caucus. Don’t we have a right to that?,” Ologbondiyan queried.
At the moment, all eyes are on the Ethics and Privileges Committee, as stakeholders are watching to see how the committee, which commenced investigation into the PDP caucus crisis will resolve the issue.
However, analysts say with the hardline position of all the gladiators, it is doubtful if the outcome of the Ethics and Privileges Committee probe can bring lasting peace to the PDP caucus, whichever way, the report goes.
Not a few believe that the resolution of the leadership crisis rocking the caucus of the major opposition party in the Green chamber lies squarely with the PDP leadership. But whether the opposition party leadership will have the political will to decisively handle the issue is another thing all together.
THE SUN, NIGERIA
