Minority leadership: Leave Reps alone, Clark tells PDP

Elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has asked the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to allow the House of Representatives minority leaders to emerge on the floor of the House.

This followed the crisis arising from the suspension from the party of Honourable Ndudi Elumelu and other members of the House for allegedly ignoring the PDP’s choice for the positions.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, Clark said the main opposition party should concentrate on developmental issues rather than concern itself with who the legislature chooses as their leaders.

He said how Elumelu became the Minority Leader was not a serious issue, adding:  “I think this is a very minor issue. There are major issues in this country that PDP should concern itself with.

“I agree that everybody belongs to one party and should project individual interests, using the case of the Amaechi governorship tissule as an example of how party supremacy stands.

“That judgment alone has been set aside somehow. I think democracy should be allowed to prevail in this country and institutions should be allowed to do their jobs.”

The elder statesman noted that the PDP constitution which gives the power to the PDP leadership to choose National Assembly leaders never stated that the leadership should nominate people and give to the House.

“There is nothing like that. But the NASS has rules and regulations. Rule 8 says that elected members of the House, whether they are majority or minority, should sit among themselves and elect their members.

“They didn’t say that one political party should nominate people for the chairman or secretary to come and submit to NASS.  I don’t think there is anything like that. But the party has to be in the know.  I agree,” Clark stated.

He stated further that “if the members of the House who are in opposition all agree that this is what we want to do,  I will appeal to PDP to face larger problems in this country. Ruga is there and there are many other things in this country that are going wrong. PDP should play the role of opposition effectively in those areas and leave this matter. It is done.

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“If the speaker has already announced that this is the minority leader now, there is nothing anyone can do. Otherwise, you want to create problem in the House which should not be. So, I am advising the PDP leadership that now that they have suspended them for months, that may be enough sanction. Allow what has happened in the House to go on. They are all members of the PDP,” he concluded.