House of Reps Faces Split as 61 Members Back Imo Lawmaker for Minority Leader

Some opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have picked Ikenga Ugochinyere (APP, Imo) as the new Minority Leader. This comes after Kingsley Chinda left to join the ruling APC, creating a vacancy.

This announcement came just a day after Speaker Abbas Tajudeen officially declared the vacancy during a session. Chinda resigned from his position as minority leader after becoming the APC governorship candidate for Rivers State.

Documents seen by reporters on Wednesday show that 61 out of 81 opposition members in the House have supported Mr Ugochinyere's nomination. They have sent their endorsement to the Speaker, who is expected to announce the new minority leadership soon.

Lawmakers from several parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), National Democratic Coalition (NDC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Labour Party (LP), Action People’s Party (APP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Accord Party, stated that their choice represents the majority of opposition lawmakers in the House.

The lawmakers mentioned that their nomination aligns with Order 7 Rule 7 of the House's Standing Orders. This rule says that members of minority parties should elect a leader to coordinate their activities in the House.

They insisted that choosing a minority leader should be based on a collective decision of opposition members, without influence from sentiments, regional issues, or party pressures. They highlighted Mr Ugochinyere’s record as a key reason for their support.

Since his election in 2023, he has sponsored and moved over 40 bills, motions, and petitions. They also noted his past role as a senior adviser to a former senate president, showing he is ready for the job.

The lawmakers defended their choice against concerns about seniority, saying many lawmakers have held important positions even after spending a short time in the legislature. They pointed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who became Senate minority leader shortly after joining the National Assembly in 2015.

They recalled past leadership elections where lawmakers chose their preferred candidates despite party zoning rules. They stressed that parliamentary democracy is guided by majority decisions, arguing that Mr Ugochinyere’s support from over three-quarters of opposition lawmakers shows strong backing across party, regional, and religious lines.

Some of the lawmakers supporting Mr Ugochinyere include Aliyu Abdullahi (ADC, Kaduna), Peter Udogalanya (NDC, Anambra), Shehu Dalhatu (PDP, Katsina), and others from various parties.

The full list of supporters includes Chinwe Nnabuife (APGA, Anambra), Ifeanyi Uzokwe (NDC, Anambra), and many more from different states and parties. In total, 61 opposition lawmakers have backed Mr Ugochinyere’s nomination.

This nomination now awaits the Speaker's formal consideration and announcement as the House aims to fill the minority leadership position. But not all members agree with Mr Ugochinyere’s endorsement, as some internal disagreements about the selection process continue.

An anonymous member of the caucus, who opposed the endorsement, told PREMIUM TIMES that this decision reflects deeper issues in the opposition bloc regarding the outgoing minority leadership. The member, from the PDP in the North-west, said dissatisfaction had built up over the past three years, leading to a loss of confidence in the minority leadership.

“A lot of members are not happy in the last three years. The minority desk did not live up to expectations. There’s a lot of frustration in the House so new members just gathered themselves together and said, look, we must do what we want,” he stated.

He explained that the process leading to Mr Ugochinyere's endorsement might not follow the House Standing Rules. He pointed out the requirement for 'cognate' experience for some leadership roles, which often means lawmakers returning for another term.

“The Standing Rules say you must be cognate and who is to define that cognate is the Speaker. Cognate means you are coming back for another term. That is the problem,” he added.

He also claimed that the move reflects wider dissatisfaction within the National Assembly, calling it a collective pushback against the current leadership instead of a simple procedural choice. “The truth is that the whole National Assembly members are not happy, so it’s a gang-up against the leadership,” he said.

He suggested that uncertainty over leadership after Mr Chinda's exit might have pushed the endorsement to happen quickly. “Now, why they did this, he is thinking that Chinda has left, maybe the leadership will just come and impose somebody, which is not so,” he explained.

Despite the disagreements, the lawmaker said talks are ongoing, and they expect a final decision on minority leadership soon. “We are working with the speaker to round up everything this weekend, then a new leadership will emerge next week, by God’s grace,” he concluded.