The coalition of members-elect of the House of Representatives in the minority parties has finally declared their bid for the office of the Speaker in the 10th National Assembly.
Arising from the closed-door meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the minority caucus stated that it was out to contest the speakership seat with the All Progressives Congress, claiming that the ruling party has lost its majority status in the 10th House after the supplementary 2023 general elections.
A prominent member of the House in the Peoples Democratic Party who does not want to be mentioned, who had on Tuesday told our correspondent that there were “interesting times ahead,” forward the resolutions reached at the meeting on Thursday night.
The resolution partly read, “Buoyed by its numerical superiority in the 10th House of Representatives, the emergent minority caucus, ‘Greater Majority,’ has resolved to gun for the speakership position. Following the outcome of last Saturday’s supplementary elections, membership of the Minority caucus has swollen to 182, one vote more than the statutory benchmark required to elect a speaker – with prospects of gaining more members.
“Already, there are permutations to promote a speakership candidate from the South-South geopolitical zone and a deputy speaker from the North-West.
“Rising from an emergency meeting of the Minority Caucus leadership held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the caucus, made up of seven political parties, stated emphatically that it was primed to contest the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.”
The opposition lawmakers argued that the 1999 Constitution “imbues every elected member with the statutory right to gun for any position, subject to the standing orders of the House.”
