The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to convene with its members in the Red Chamber on Monday, in Abuja.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that this follows rising tension surrounding the appointment of principal officers within the Senate minority caucus.
The meeting, organised ahead of the National Assembly’s resumption of plenary on July 4, seeks to counter alleged efforts by the Senate leadership, dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to infiltrate the Minority Caucus and impose a pliable leadership upon it.
In recent times, there have been reports of attempts by the Senate leadership to enforce its preferred leadership within the Senate minority caucus. However, PDP senators have vowed to vehemently oppose such maneuvers.
Multiple sources within the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja revealed that the NWC has been engaged in discussions with both PDP and other minority party senators, aiming to establish a resilient Minority Leadership that aligns with the expectations of the Nigerian people.
A prominent party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, “The upcoming meeting will provide an opportunity for senators to address internal disputes and establish a fair distribution of positions, while considering the interests of other minority parties.”
“Our NWC has been diligently working behind the scenes to ensure a strong Minority leadership in both chambers of the National Assembly. We have been engaged in talks with our senators and members of the House of Representatives. The purpose of Monday’s meeting is to iron out any remaining issues and resolve disagreements so that our party and lawmakers can present a unified front on the matter of Minority Leadership in the National Assembly,” the official added.
Another source accused the Senate leadership of a desperate attempt to fracture the minority caucus, aiming to undermine the opposition within the Red Chamber.
“As you may know, according to the Senate’s Rules, the responsibility of choosing the Minority leadership lies exclusively with senators from the Minority Parties. The Rules do not grant any role to the APC-led leadership in the selection of the Minority Leadership,” the source explained.
“The Senate President’s role, as outlined by the Rules, is simply to announce the name forwarded to him by the Minority Caucus. He has no authority to announce any other list apart from the one provided by the Minority Caucus. We believe that the Senate President, the distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, will adhere to the Rules. He is an experienced politician, and we expect him to be guided accordingly. Any deviation from adhering to the Rules will be met with strong resistance from us,” the source emphasised.
