House Minority Leader: PDP in dilemma over Wike’s ally’s endorsement

Atiku’s camp uncomfortable
•Dickson’s aspiration in Senate under threat

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been thrown into a fresh quandary following  the endorsement of  Hon.Kingsley Chinda, a strong ally of former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike by the House of Representatives PDP caucus for the position of the House Minority Leader.

Chinda  emerged as the consensus candidate  of  PDP Reps during a meeting   held in Abuja on Friday.

Hon. Oluwole Oke from Osun State, believed to be the preferred candidate of the Atiku Abubakar’s camp, pulled out of the race.

The party hierarchy which is yet to forgive Wike and his allies for their non-cooperation in the run up to the February 25 presidential election,is uncomfortable with Chinda’s choice.

It had earlier  asked  the public to disregard speculations that certain persons had been picked for minority leadership positions for the 10th National Assembly.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba,  said “such rumours and reports do not represent the true position of affairs in our party and among our National Assembly members-elect.”

He added:”At the right time, the PDP together with our members in the National Assembly will speak with one voice on any issues with regard to other leadership positions in the federal legislature. The PDP therefore urges Nigerians to disregard the said rumour and reports.”

Sources said the  massive support enjoyed by Chinda  from his fellow Reps in the minority parties has presented the PDP  stakeholders a difficult matter to handle.

While some argue that the party should refuse to endorse Chinda for the poition as a punishment for him and Wike for their alleged anti-party activities during the 2023 presidential election, others are of the opinion that the leadership of the party should avoid another round of crisis in view of his popularity among his colleagues.

Before Friday’s nomination of Chinda by the PDP caucus, some of the party’s members-elect had campaigned against his candidacy. Their argument was that the PDP should not reward Wike with the Minority Leader slot after he and his allies like Chinda, worked against the party and cost them the 2023 presidential election.

Some PDP members had also made a case for the South West to get the slot for equity and fairness.

The Nation gathered that PDP stakeholders  opposed to his aspiration are seeking to rally Reps from the Labour Party (LP),New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP),Social Democratic Party (SDP),Young Progressives Party (YPP) and African Democratic Party (ADC) to reject the choice of Chinda and support another candidate that the PDP leadership will put forward soon.

Sources said the PDP may settle for Hon. Fred Egbedi (Sagbama/Ekeremor, Delta State) as its anointed candidate.

Egbedi, who has also shown interest in the position, is a close associate of the immediate past Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who was Atiku’s running mate.

Another reason why the PDP leadership is uncertain of its next line of action regarding Chinda’s nomination is his closeness to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abass. “We are politicians and we understand how the Speaker can foil any move to replace Chinda by the PDP. We recall what happened during the last 9th National Assembly when the party had preferred this same Chinda to Ndudi Elumelu,” a PDP official said.

Speaking further, the PDP chieftain confirmed that supporters of Atiku within the party are uncomfortable with the development and would prefer Chinda is stopped from taking the office. “That is politics. Given what transpired between Wike’s camp and Atiku’s, you should expect that the latter will not be comfortable with a Wike ally taking such an important position. Of course, they are not.

“In addition, generally, PDP leaders and members are scared that it will amount to encouraging anti-party activities if Chinda and Wike are allowed to get away with working against the party. It will even be worse if they are now seen to be getting important positions after working against the interests of the party severally and unrepentantly during the last elections,” he added.

Chinda’s endorsement is also said to be a threat to the ambition of former Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson for the position of Minority Leader in the Senate.

Dickson is a supporter of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The former Bayelsa State governor and the immediate past governor of Sokoto State Aminu Tambuwal are  frontrunners in the race for the Senate Minority Leader slot.

But Tambuwal, who is also an ally of Atiku appears to have an upper hand in the race.

Tambuwal  is a first timer in the Senate.

But he is considered a ranking member on the strength of having been  Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.

On the other hand, Dickson, who represents the Bayelsa West senatorial district, is serving his second term in the Senate.

Dickson, who was also a two-term former Governor of Bayelsa State, was first elected to the Senate in 2019 and won re-election in 2023.

However, Dickson’s chances are narrowed by the emergence of Mr Kingsley Chinda as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.