10th Assembly: PDP Eyes Senate President, House Speaker

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced its plans for the Senate Presidency and Speakership race in the 10th National Assembly.

The opposition party stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be a minority party on the floor of both houses during the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

The PDP said it has entered into a working agreement with other opposition parties, and that lawmakers elected on the platform of the PDP are united.

The PDP has not yet disclosed whether or not it will field candidates for both positions, but it was learnt that the situation will be clearer on Tuesday.

According to the PDP National spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, who spoke during a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, opposition parties were ready to leverage their numbers to have a say on who becomes the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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Addressing journalists at the event, Ologunagba said the parliament, being the symbol of democracy, must be protected from anti-democratic forces, adding that the party is working in collaboration with its members-elect in both houses to forge a common front ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration.

He said:

“With regard to the current race for the Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, it is instructive to note that the opposition parties put together to form a strong majority in the National Assembly and we are very mindful of that.

“The PDP leadership is working together with our members-elect and opposition parties in the two chambers.

“Irrespective of the ongoing and claims in the media, I want to inform you that the PDP has a clear direction which we hold close to our chest. Our members are united in that direction and it will show on the floor of both Houses of the National Assembly on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

“In all, we do not discountenance the fact that the opposition parties have the majority in the National Assembly which we are ready to deploy maximally.”

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It was learnt that the race for the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives has intensified with notable politicians from both the APC and PDP vying for the positions. Former PDP chieftains Godswill Akpabio, Orji Kalu, and Osita Izunaso, alongside APC stalwart Abdulaziz Yari, were all in the running for the Senate Presidency. Meanwhile, APC members Abbas Tajudeen, Mukhtar Batera, and Idris Wase were the leading contenders for the Speakership of the House.

Recall that APC leadership endorsed Akpabio and Abbas for the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.

Following the parliamentary elections on February 25, the APC held a majority of 59 Senators, leaving the opposition parties with 50.

Findings revealed that in the House of Representatives, the ruling party boasts of 177 members while opposition parties have 182.