UPSET by the recalcitrance of some of its members in the House of Representatives, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has begun deft moves to replace the former Majority Leader, Tunde Akogun.
The party is also aiming to have its preferred candidates to occupy the positions of the Deputy Leader, the Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the House.
This is the PDP's latest attempt to regain control of affairs in the House after the members defied its order last week on the election of the principal officers of the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
The Seventh Assembly was inaugurated on Monday, June 6. And against the PDP directive on zoning of the Speaker to the Southwest of the country, members overwhelmingly voted for Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from Sokoto State (Northwest zone), who garnered 252 votes to beat his PDP anointed rival, Mulikat Akande-Adeola from Oyo State (Southwest), who got 90 votes.
Although the PDP later forgave Tambuwal and the members that backed his election, it appears that the party has not forgotten their intransigence.
Hence, the instant intrigues and other forms of horse-trading said to herald discussions at the top hierarchy of the party to choose the House Leader (and other officers), whose primary function, by legislative norm, is to coordinate the activities of the committees in the chamber as well as leads proceedings on key national issues that affect the country.
PDP sources noted at the weekend that having failed to impose its will on who became the Speaker in the House, the party was leaving nothing to chance in the bid to ensure that the House positions including the Leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Whip were occupied by its favoured candidates.
And primed for the position of Leader, according to one of the sources, is Friday Itulah (PDP/Edo). Among other candidates vying for the slot zoned to the South-South, are Leo Ogor (PDP/Delta), Nicholas Mutuh (PDP/Delta), Ndudi Elumelu (PDP/Delta) and Daniel Reiyenieju (PDP/Delta).
The Guardian learnt that the choice of Itulah, a two-time Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, is being supported by a former Chair of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih as well as the members of the party in the House in consonance with the zoning arrangement put in place by the PDP.
A PDP source said: "The party is moving towards a reconciliation with the new leadership of the House, and you know in politics, it is about give and take; so, you do not expect that the other principal offices should be occupied in defiance of party dictates because if that happens, there will be chaos and anarchy.
So, candidates gunning for the office of Leader and so on should go to a party loyalist. That is, a candidate who has been loyal to the initial leadership's plan for the House."
Meanwhile, Leo Ogor and Ndudi Elumelu, both seeking to be Majority Leader and Deputy Leader, respectively may be affected by the latest hard bargaining between the Tambuwal leadership and the PDP.
In this round of leadership selection, the party may reject other members, who, according to the source, had expressed support for the candidature of Tambuwal as the Speaker.
Source: The Guardian.