Merger threatens PDP’s majority in N’Assembly

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives may have come under threat, owing to the defection of the five of the seven ‘rebel’ governors and some influential leaders of the PDP to the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday.

Findings on Tuesday showed that the PDP could lose at least four key principal positions should many of its members move in droves to join the governors in the APC.

The positions under threat are Deputy Speaker  (Mr. Emeka Ihedioha); Majority Leader (Mulikat Akande-Adeola); Chief Whip (Ishaka Bawa); and Deputy Leader (Leo Ogor).

Investigations showed that as of the last count, the APC had 137 members in the House.

It will also be recalled that at least 57 PDP members openly moved with their governors to the defunct  New PDP.

A source told one of our correspondents that this already implied “a likely shift in majority leadership to the APC.”

The source added, “If you add 57 to 137, you will get 194.

“If you deduct 194 from 360, the number is 166.

“Don’t forget that not all of the 166 members of the House of Representatives are PDP members. There are small parties like the Labour Party, a faction of APGA and the Accord Party.

“What does this tell you about which party will control the House?

“Again, more members will likely defect in the days ahead; anything is bound to happen.”

The PUNCH gathered that the PDP originally had 208 members before the crisis, out of which 57 joined the New PDP.

The leader of the defunct New PDP,  Mr. Andrew Uchendu, had claimed that the membership was actually up to 100.

“We are more than 57; there are more that are behind the scene.

“We are up to 100,” he had claimed.

A National Assembly official said, “If you take Uchendu’s position, it means the APC will have 237 members in the House.

“That is more good tidings for the opposition in terms of which party will be in control.”

There were doubts on Tuesday over which side of the divide the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, belonged.

His home state governor, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, is one of the seven rebel governors.

The speaker has been evading taking a categorical stance on the crisis since it broke out.

However, he attends events organised by APC stakeholders and the rebel governors.

When contacted for comments on Tuesday, his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. James Ojo, said his boss had not informed him that he had left the PDP.

“I won’t speak on that matter; he has not told me that he is not a member of PDP,” James said.

But, an influential member of the House confided in The PUNCH that any likely change in majority leadership might not affect Tambuwal.

The source explained, “His election was not a PDP project; it was the entire House project.

“So far, he has not veered off badly from the mandate of the House.

“The point to be made is that, whether he is in PDP or APC, the Speaker will likely retain his position.

“The positions we cannot guarantee are from deputy speaker down the ladder.”

However, the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Ishaka Bawa, a PDP member, called for caution, saying that the party could “wax stronger.”

He recalled that many factional crises that had rocked the party in the past ended up making it stronger.

According to Bawa, the 57 lawmakers, who joined the defunct New PDP did not write the Speaker to say that they were leaving the PDP as required by law.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the defection of the Kawu Baraje splinter group within the PDP which also  included five governors, the Nigerian senate will still be dominated by members of the party.

Our correspondent observed that before the latest development, out of the 109 senators, the APC had 34; the Labour Party and All Progressives Grand Alliance had four; while the PDP had  71 senators.

However, with the defection of five governors, the PDP will have 56 senators; APC will have 49 Labour Party will have three; while APGA will have one.

However, Senator Simeon Ajibola from Kwara State told one of our correspondents that Nigerians should count him out of the merger since he and some other senators believed to be with the G-7 governors had never been part of their plots.

Source