The House of Representatives minority caucuses for the 10th National Assembly have indicated their interest to contest the speakership and deputy positions,” said Fred Agbedi, convener of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus.
The resolution was contained in a communique issued on Tuesday night after a meeting held in Abuja by opposition parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Young People Party (YPP).
“We have set up an eleven-member committee to scout for credible and acceptable candidates that would vie for those offices and then actively seek the unification of Nigerians along the ethno-religious line,” said Abdulmumin Jibrin, co-convener of the NNPP caucus.
The election to produce the principal officers for the 10th National Assembly will take place on June 13, and the opposition caucuses have vowed to remain united to challenge the ruling party’s dominance.
“The greater majority with more than 180 elected members (being over 50 percent of the elected members) will remain one indivisible coalition during the 10th National Assembly, with the interest of the country as its driving force,” the communique reads.
“That the greater majority of the 10th National Assembly will be continually guided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the collective interest of Nigerians being its major concern.
“To assure Nigerians not to lose hope due to the country’s current unpleasant situation, including the disunity plaguing the nation, which is the direct consequence of APC’s misrule and that the greater majority of the incoming 10th National Assembly will remedy these problems as a matter of priority.
“The great majority will continue to unify the coalition of opposition parties so that it can be an effective check on the ruling party in order to safeguard the rule of law.”
Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 175 House of Representatives seats, the opposition political parties have 181 seats, with the PDP having 117, LP having 35, and NNPP controlling 19 seats.
Others are APGA, which has five seats, while the ADC and SDP have two each and the YPP has one.
“The greater majority will continue to unify the coalition of opposition parties so that it can be an effective check on the ruling party in order to safeguard the rule of law,” said Gaza Gbefwi, co-convener of the SDP caucus.
The minority caucuses were inaugurated in April to form an alliance ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
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