Deji Elumoye and Adedayo Akinwale
Elumelu and five others remained suspended.
“The suspension placed on some PDP members, who connived with others to supplant the Party decision with regards to the party’s position in the House is subsisting and has not been lifted. The suspended members of the party cannot therefore conduct any business of the party at whatever level until disciplinary measures have been concluded.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) in its wisdom, and consistent with its position on the matter, which has not changed, directed that the affairs of the PDP Caucus of the House of Representatives be organised and managed by: Hon. Kingsley Chinda, Hon. Yakubu Barde, Hon. Chukwuka Onyema and Hon. Muraina Ajibola.”
Reacting, Elumelu’s Special Adviser (Legal), Oyorima Idahosa, described the continued suspension and alleged disloyalty of his principal and others as “completely against the principle of democracy, rule of law and fairness upon which the PDP is founded.
“By parliamentary rules, persons so elected become the leaders of the party caucuses in the legislature. While the party can guide their elected members through the zoning of various minority leadership offices, it is not in the place of the party, by the provisions of the Constitution, House Standing Rule, and parliamentary traditions, to appoint or foist Minority or Majority Caucus leadership on its members”.
Elumelu recalled that a similar attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to foist leadership of the Majority Caucus on the National Assembly in 2015 could not stand as such obnoxious action was vehemently resisted by the Senate, which stuck to the list of elected leaders of the Majority Caucus submitted by APC Senators.
He wondered why PDP and its chairman, Secondus, who was the Acting National Chairman at the time, would turn round to commit the same impunity and meddlesomeness in the internal affairs of the parliament that they strongly criticised the APC for.