Crisis is looming in the Abia State House of Assembly following the emergence of a majority leader from the minority Labour Party (LP) in the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) dominated 24 member Assembly.
The PDP has 11 members, LP 10, YPP 2 and APC 1.
Announcing the member representing Arochukwu state constituency, Hon. Uchenna Okoro, as the majority leader, Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, stated that with the understanding reached between the LP, YPP and APC, it was pertinent that the LP is the majority party in the House.
Sources told pointblanknews.com that the state chairman of the PDP, Hon. Asiforo Okere, had in a letter to the speaker, suggested names of four PDP members as majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip and deputy chief whip. However, the speaker was said to have refused to read out the letter sent by the PDP chairman.
But in a deft political move, the Speaker announced members of the LP as the majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip and deputy chief whip.
He announced Hon. Destiny Nwagwu, representing Aba North as Deputy majority leader, Hon. Emeka Obioma, representing Umuahia South as chief whip and Iheanacho Nwogu, of the YPP , representing Osisioma Ngwa North as deputy chief whip.
Briefing newsmen at the Assembly complex, immediate past majority leader of the Assembly, Chief Solomon Akpulonu, of the PDP, representing Obingwa East, insisted that the PDP remains the majority party in the Assembly and will not allow the LP which is the minority party in the Assembly to produce the majority leader.
His words; “We raised this issue at the executive session and the Speaker was advised not to touch the positions of the majority party which is the PDP. Our party had nominated principal officers and sent the names to the speaker. The rules of the House, order 8, subsection 42, stipulates that the majority leader will be appointed from amongst the members of the majority party in the House. We agreed that the speaker should read out the nominees of the majority party, but it is unfortunate that we came to the plenary, instead of reading the letter from the PDP; he turned it to give the majority positions that belong to PDP to LP which is the minority party. The PDP has 11 members and should produce the majority leader, deputy majority leader, chief whip and deputy chief whip. The LP should produce the minority leader, deputy minority leader, minority whip and deputy minority whip. This goes to show the world what happened when the House was inaugurated on 14th June when the rules of the House and the constitution which said there should be ranking, but what the Labour Party did was to ignore the rules and the fifth alteration of the constitution and the minority party produced the speaker. We will not allow the minority party to take the position of the majority party.”
Also speaking, Chief Goddy Adiele, of the PDP representing Ukwa West told the speaker to read the letters submitted by the four political parties in the Assembly.
He said; “The speaker should come back and read out the letter submitted by the four political parties. If they want to do what they are claiming about coalition and alliance, then the parties should step out and come to the floor of the House and let the members decamp. Let any member who wants to join the Labor party from YPP and APC come to the House and declare for the Labour Party and we will know that they have turned to the majority party. We won’t quarrel about it. But as long as the status quo remains, PDP is the majority party in Abia Assembly. ”
