10th Assembly: PDP Eyes Speakership Position As Opposition Reps-elect Meet

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the conversation about the House of Representatives leadership in the 10th National Assembly is ongoing.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, stated this after the House of Representatives members-elect of the opposition parties met on Tuesday to form an alliance ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June.

Naija News earlier reported that the opposition members-elect, who unanimously formed a group called Greater Majority’, met on Tuesday to work together to influence the election of the next leaders of the Green Chamber.

The opposition members-elect also met to fine-tune strategies for using their numbers as bargaining power in their negotiations with the speakership aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Present at the meeting in Abuja were the old and new members-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Speaking with The Punch on Wednesday, Ologunagba said the PDP can produce the next speaker if the ruling party failed to agree on the choice of the next speaker.

The PDP spokesman added that talks are still at a preliminary stage to decide if the party will produce the next leader of the lower legislative chamber.

He said, “The conversations are on but we have to be patient with the process. It is true that if things go on as expected, the PDP can produce the speaker but talks are still at a preliminary stage. We will cross the bridge when we get there.”