TheCable

Ado Doguwa from Kano state has been named the majority leader of the house of representatives.

Femi Gbajabiamila, the speaker, also announced Mohammed Monguno from Borno state as the chief whip while Peter Akpatason from Edo was named the deputy majority leader.

Gbajabiamila, who made the announcement during plenary on Thursday, said this was in line with the house rules.

Nkeiruka Onyeocha, from Abia state and who is also of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was named the deputy chief whip.

He made the announcement shortly after Kingsley Chinda of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a hot exchange with him over the position of minority leader.

Gbajabiamila had announced Ndudi Elumelu, also of the PDP, as minority leader, although the PDP leadership had earlier indicated interest in Chinda for the position.

Meanwhile, Elumelu is insisting that he was duly elected by his colleagues in the minority political parties.

Speaking when he and other principal minority officers visited Walid Jibrin, PDP board of trustees (BoT) chairman, in Abuja, he said his emergence as minority leader followed the house rules.

“what is key is that out of the 147 members, 111 nominated us. We believe in PDP and are here to tell you that we are loyal members of PDP, we have nothing against PDP,” he said.

““It is just by the rules that minority parties in the house of representatives must come together to select those to lead them, and that was complied with the provision of the rules of the house.”

Jibrin congratulated him and said though the PDP is in opposition, “we are not in a blind opposition (and) we have to cooperate with others in order to move Nigeria forward.”

“On behalf of over 100 members of the BoT, I want to congratulate you, we are talking with one voice, we have contested and we are together in bringing our honourable people from the house of representatives.”