The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken its struggle for befitting entitlements in the eight Abia State House of Assembly to a new dimension by forming a shadow legislature for its 12 lawmakers.
The main Abia opposition party said that its right to produce principal officers, especially the Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly was initially suppressed and has decided to renew the struggle.
Chairman of Abia PDP, Hon Amah Abraham announced the formation of a shadow House of Assembly Tuesday, November 26, 2024 after a meeting of the State Working Committee(SWC) and expanded State Executive Committee of the party at the party’s state secretariat, Umuahia.
He named Hon Solomon Akpulonu, who represents Obingwa East State Constituency and the most experienced legislator in the House, as the Speaker of the PDP shadow legislature.
At the inauguration of the eight Abia Assembly last June, Abia PDP had 11 lawmakers while the ruling Labour Party(LP) nine, Young Progressives Party(YP) two and All Progressives Congress (APC ) with one member.
However, despite its majority status, PDP was supplanted by the ruling LP which not only produced the Speaker of the House but also the Majority Leader. After it later gained additional lawmaker through a court verdict, the PDP was still not allowed to produce any principal officer even with 12 or 50 percent of the 24-member Assembly.
Though the two YPP lawmakers had since defected to the ruling LP, swelling its number to 11 legislators, the PDP still holds majority seats with 12 lawmakers while APC maintains its one slot in the present Abia Assembly.
Abraham explained that the setting up of the shadow House of Assembly has become necessary to assert its right to have principal officers as the majority party in the House.
“The stand we have taken today is the stand of a political party that believes in peace,” he said, noting that PDP lawmakers deserved commendation for their peaceful disposition despite the disrespectful treatment of their party.
The Abia PDP Chairman said that the party would have insisted on producing the Speaker of the eight Abia Assembly but had to mellow down as the three lawmakers from YPP and APC were working with LP.
He further stated that PDP allowed Governor Alex Otti to have his way in having his party produce the Speaker, adding that it was in giving respect to the governor.
But Abraham noted that the ruling Labour Party has not reciprocated the respect PDP gave Governor Otti as it has grabbed every principal office in the House of Assembly even when it is among the minority parties.
Corroborating his party Chairman, Hon Collins Iheonunekwu, who represents Isiala Ngwa North state constituency, lamented 4he travails of PDP members in the House of Assembly.
He said that “it is factual that majority and minority seats are for PDP” in the Assembly given its membership strength of 12 and after the ruling party has taken the Speakership.
“We are in majority and we can’t subscribe to minority status,” he aaid, adding that “every effort to get what belongs to us has been thwarted gy the ruling LP”.
Aside the shadow legislature, the PDP also inaugurated a 20-member Reconciliation Committee with Abraham as Chairman and Peter Agumba as Co-Chairman.
The Committee was charged with identifying the cause of grievances and reconciling the aggrieved party members within and without so they could be brought back to renew their faith and loyalty to the former ruling party.
“PDP as it stands is a superstructure but as political engineers, we still need to expand the structure,” the Abia PDP Chairman said.
He urged the Committee to liaise with the former Abia Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, who is a member of the PDP National Reconciliation Committee for guidance when necessary.
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