The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed its desire to work with other opposition parties to produce the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
Addressing the media at the PDP Wadata Plaza Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, the national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the opposition parties have the majority to produce leaders of the two chambers considering their numbers, The Nigerian Tribune wrote.
Nigerian Tribune reports that while the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has 177 members-elect, the opposition combined has 182 as House of Representatives members from Taraba State after his election. However, the APC has the majority in the Senate with 59 members to 50 of the opposition.
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According to Ologunagba, the PDP has a clear direction of where it is going as far as the National Assembly election which he said the party’s members-elect are aware of and will deploy maximally.
“With regard to the current race for the presiding officers of the National Assembly, it is instructive to note that the opposition parties put together to form a strong majority in the National Assembly and we are very mindful of that. The PDP leadership is working together with our members-elect and opposition parties in the two chambers.
“Irrespective of the ongoing and claims in the media, I want to inform you that the PDP has a clear direction which we hold close to our chest, our members are united in that direction and it will show on the floor of both Houses of the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
“In all, we do not discountenance the fact that put together, the opposition parties have the majority in the National Assembly which we are ready to deploy maximally. The legislature is the symbol of democracy because that is the people’s house. We as a party believe in democracy, rule of law and the power of the people. As a party, we are concerned and interested in what happens in that arm of government,” he said.
The APC has nominated Senators Godswill Akpabio and Jubril Barau as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively and Honourable Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker in that order. While the likes of Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Abdulaziz Yari and Osita Izunaso are challenging the party over its choice, Honourables Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, Yusuf Gagdi and the deputy speaker, Ibrahim Wase and others have allied to work against the choice of Abass and Kalu.
Also speaking on the ongoing election petition tribunals, Ologunagba condemned the undesirable conduct of the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derail the cause of justice in the Presidential Election Petition Court and various election tribunals across the country.
He said INEC’s objection to its evidence in court showed clear evidence that the electoral body is seeking to frustrate the court and derail the cause of justice. He also condemned APC’s attack on PDP members at Governorship election petition Tribunal premises in Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna which he said was a plot by the ruling party to instil fear on the judiciary and to derail the cause of justice and called for the immediate transfer of the Ogun and Nasarawa Election Tribunals to Abuja for safety and guarantee of justice.
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“We are not taking our eyes off the fact that the process of the 2023 Presidential election is still ongoing at the Presidential Election Petition Court and other Election Petition Tribunals across the country.
“The APC and INEC want to derail the cause of justice in the various Election Petition Tribunals across the country and INEC’s objection to its evidence in court shows that it is seeking to frustrate the court and derail the cause of justice.
“We condemn APC’s attack on PDP members at governorship election petition Tribunal premises in Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna. APC plots to sustain the attacks with the intention to instil fear in the judiciary so as to derail the cause of justice.
“This justifies PDP’s demand for live coverage of the tribunal proceeding as party members would have been watching at home instead of going to the premises.
“We demand the immediate transfer of the Ogun and Nasarawa Election Tribunals to Abuja for safety and guarantee of justice.”