In what seems to be an unfolding political drama, a ranking member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Abia State House of Assembly, Solomon Akpulonu, has vehemently rejected the minority position given to his party. Akpulonu, who represents Obingwa East in the Assembly, maintains that the PDP remains the majority party in the House due to its elected members.
The controversy arose following the announcement of new principal officers by the Speaker, Emmanuel Emeruwa, where no PDP lawmaker was included in the list. Despite having 11 members in the Assembly, the PDP was left without any representation in the leadership positions.
During the plenary last Friday, the Speaker justified the decision, stating that two members from the Young Progressive Party (YPP) and one member from the All Progressives Congress (APC) aligned with the Labour Party (LP) before the emergence of the principal officers. This alignment supposedly laid the foundation for a smooth selection process.
However, on Tuesday, Akpulonu once again rejected the outcome, arguing that his party was still the majority with their 11 members. He further accused the executive arm of government in the state of allegedly orchestrating the current situation in the Abia Assembly. Akpulonu firmly stated that the PDP would never accept the position of a minority.
Regarding the Speaker’s authority to announce principal officers, the PDP legislator contended that there was no rule or law mandating him to do so. He believed it was merely a matter of courtesy, but in this case, the Speaker showed bias by announcing a majority leader.
“We cannot accept the position of the minority because we are not the minority,” Akpulonu declared.
Akpulonu also dismissed the understanding between the LP, YPP, and APC on the floor of the House. He argued that the lawmakers who supported the LP should have resigned from their respective political parties for the alliance to be legally binding.
According to records from the 8th Abia State House of Assembly obtained by Media Talk Africa, the positions were distributed as follows in that session: Speaker – LP, Deputy Speaker – LP, Majority Leader – LP, Deputy Majority Leader – LP, Chief Whip – LP, and Deputy Chief Whip – YPP.
The position of the minority was not announced as the House adjourned for the next legislative session.
