• Also appointed was Sokoto lawmaker, Hon. Abdusamad Dasuki of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who will serve as Deputy Minority Leader, while Hon. Mansur Manu Soro of Bauchi State was named Minority Chief Whip.
The House of Representatives has announced a new leadership team for the minority caucus, with Hon. Fred Agbedi of Bayelsa State emerged as the Minority Leader.
The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, announced the appointments on Thursday shortly after the commencement of plenary, bringing an end to weeks of intense lobbying and consultations among opposition lawmakers over the composition of the minority leadership.
Also appointed was Sokoto lawmaker, Hon. Abdusamad Dasuki of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who will serve as Deputy Minority Leader, while Hon. Mansur Manu Soro of Bauchi State was named Minority Chief Whip.
Agbedi represents the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Soro is a member of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The announcement came amid heightened tensions within the opposition ranks over the choice of minority principal officers.
Earlier, a group of lawmakers led by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, staged a protest inside the chamber, chanting, “No announcement, no sitting,” over the delay in naming a Minority Leader.
Some lawmakers had reportedly threatened to disrupt proceedings unless Agbedi was announced as Minority Leader, particularly as the House prepares to vote on key constitutional amendment bills, including the proposed creation of state police.
SaharaReporters also gathered that there was a dramatic scene on Thursday when opposition lawmakers insisted that legislative business would not proceed until Agbedi was formally recognised as the leader of the minority caucus.
However, following the announcement, Ugochinyere joined other members in congratulating the newly appointed principal officers, bringing an end to the dispute that had threatened to overshadow proceedings in the green chamber.
The House is expected to vote on a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria in the ongoing plenary session.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
Kalu urged all lawmakers to attend Thursday’s plenary session and participate in the vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.
The planned vote comes days after the Presidency revealed that constitutional amendments required for the establishment of state police were nearing completion.
Speaking after a high-level consultative meeting on state police at the Presidential Villa in Abuja last week, President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, said discussions on the initiative had gained significant momentum following months of deliberations.
“We started deliberations in the last three or four months on how to go about the establishment of state police as directed by Mr President,” Gbajabiamila had said.
“Establishing state police is not something that you do with the snap of the fingers. There is a lot involved in terms of constitution and legalities, and thank God we have now gained a lot of traction.”
