PDP’s Suspension Shocking, Unfair – Elumelu

Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, has stated that his suspension by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was unfair and shocking.

Recalls that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had announced Ndudi Elumelu as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and others.

Naija News understands that the announcement of Elumelu was against the directive of the PDP who had sent a letter to the House stating that it had nominated Kingsley Chinda as the Minority Leader.

The PDP NWC had summoned the seven Reps to a meeting on Friday but none of the invited Reps was present during the meeting.

This resulted in the suspension of Hon. Ndudi Elumelu (Aniocha/Oshimili-Delta State) and six other PDP members of the House of Reps.

The other PDP reps that were also suspended include member representing Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency of Osun State, Wole Oke; member representing Onitsha North and Onitsha South Federal constituency, Lynda Ikpeazu; member representing Ezza North/Ishielu federal constituency, Anayo Edwin; member representing Kaura Federal Constituency election in Kaduna State, Gideon Gwani; member representing Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency of Enugu State, Toby Okechukwu and member representing Ijebu-North/Ijebu-East / Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency, Adekoya Abdul-Majid.

Reacting in a statement on Friday, Elumelu said they got the invitation to appear before the party late on Thursday when they had travelled out of Abuja.

The lawmaker stated that he and his colleagues selected to lead the opposition parties in the House of Representatives didn’t contravene the laws regulating the selection of members into leadership positions and wondered why his party suspended them.

He said: “As loyal party members, we had thought that the PDP NWC would have availed us the opportunity of fair hearing, robust and constructive engagements before taking such drastic action on elected representatives who have over years, strengthened and protected the corporate interest of the party and Nigeria in general.

“We have become good ambassadors of the PDP and we don’t deserve this kind of treatment. Our alleged suspension negates the spirit and letter of fair hearing which is at the heart of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution and extant laws of the land.

“We love PDP and we are ready to meet with the party leadership as we have no other party to call our own than the PDP. We, therefore, call on the NWC to rescind its decision of suspending us, in the interest of the PDP, the National Assembly and Nigeria as a whole.”