Minority Leader: 60 lawmakers reject move for fresh election

….insist on Ugochinyere’s nomination

The battle for the leadership of the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives intensified on Saturday as members of the G-60 Caucus rejected moves for a fresh election to fill the position of Minority Leader, insisting that Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere remains their validly nominated candidate.

The lawmakers maintained that the nomination process had already been concluded, with Mr Ugochinyere securing the backing of an overwhelming majority of Minority members, and argued that the only issue requiring attention is the verification of signatures submitted in support of his candidacy.

In a statement signed by Mukthar Umar and Seyi Sowunmi, the group said reports suggesting that it had withdrawn Mr Ugochinyere’s nomination were false.

The position of Minority Leader became vacant following the exit of Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who relinquished the office after defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and emerging as the party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State.

According to the caucus, 61 out of the 81 members that make up the Minority Caucus endorsed Ugochinyere’s nomination to succeed Chinda, giving him a clear majority support.

However, the process was thrown into controversy after Philip Agbese reportedly denied endorsing Mr Ugochinyere’s nomination, prompting Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to convene a meeting of Minority lawmakers.

The meeting reportedly considered the possibility of conducting a fresh process to determine who should emerge as the new Minority Leader.

But the G-60 lawmakers said they were opposed to any fresh election, insisting that the mandate already given to Ugochinyere by the majority of Minority members should be respected.

“We wish to state categorically that our position remains unchanged. We are not calling for a new election or fresh nomination process,” the lawmakers stated.

“Rather, we are requesting a transparent verification of the signatures and nominations already submitted by members of the Minority Caucus.”

The caucus argued that any concerns arising from claims by individual lawmakers regarding their endorsements could easily be addressed through a verification exercise without reopening the entire process.

“The nomination of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere was duly endorsed by an overwhelming majority of Minority members, and any concerns regarding individual endorsements can be resolved through a straightforward verification exercise,” the statement added.

The lawmakers urged the House leadership to uphold what they described as the democratic will of the majority and proceed with the verification of the submitted signatures instead of initiating a fresh contest.

“We therefore urge the leadership of the House to respect the democratic decision of the majority of Minority members and proceed with the verification of the existing nominations instead of initiating a new process,” they said.

The latest development underscores growing tensions within the Minority Caucus over the leadership succession process, with lawmakers divided over whether the existing nominations should stand or a fresh exercise should be conducted.

Political observers say the eventual decision of the House leadership could determine not only the next Minority Leader but also the balance of influence within the opposition bloc in the Green Chamber.