Principal Officers: Ripples In Abia Assembly As PDP Members Stage Walk Out, Vow To Go To Court

Eleven members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State House of Assembly have vowed to go to court over the emergence of principal officers of the Assembly, wondering why the party with the majority was not allowed to produce the majority leader.

Despite being the minority in the Assembly, Labour Party-headed legislative House last week announced Hon. Uchenna Okoro representing Arochukwu constituency as Majority Leader.

The ripple generated by this is yet to go down as PDP lawmakers on Tuesday staged a walkout.

Addressing newsmen after the protest, a member representing Ukwa West State Constituency, Hon. Godwin Adiele, recalled that on Friday last week, there was confusion when the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, started announcing principal officers.

PDP members were swift to inform him that it wasn’t part of the agreement reached and they staged a walkout which led to the abrupt end of plenary on the said day.

He added that the event of that day was captured in the minutes of the last plenary but surprisingly during Tuesday’s plenary, PDP members made observation that the minutes was not in order because they objected to the announcement of Principal officers, saying it is never done anywhere in Parliament that a party with a majority will concede the leadership of the House to opposition party.

Hon. Adiele, noted that on discovering this, they drew the attention of the Speaker for it to be expunged or it should be put on hold till the issue is resolved, stressing that they cannot tolerate that hence they staged a walkout.

Speaking on the next line of action, a member representing Obingwa East State Constituency, Hon. Solomon Akpulonu, said the PDP members in the House will advise the party in the State on the way forward, maintaining that there is no law that empowers minority party in the House to announce principal officers in the House.

He informed that the PDP will also go to court to seek interpretation of the House standing 8 order, rule 42 that says that the majority leader shall be selected from amongst the members of the party that has the majority members in the House of Assembly.