Rivers Assembly: APC Members Stage Walkout Over Imposition Of Minority Leader

The Member representing Akuku-Toru Constituency Two in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Fredrick Anabraba has emerged as the Minority Leader. DAILY POST reports that Anabraba emerged against the wish of the APC caucus in the Rivers State House of Assembly. The APC Caucus led by Victoria Nyeche had nominated the member representing Eleme State Constituency, Josiah Olu for the position of Minority Leader.But the nominee of the APC Caucus was not allowed by the PDP members who were in the majority.

It was PDP’s Sam Ogeh who nominated Fredrick Anabraba as Minority Leader, before a vote was taken, and he emerged victorious.

The APC lawmakers, thereafter, staged a walkout as a mark of protest against what they considered to be imposition of a Minority Leader on them by the PDP.
Leader of the APC Caucus and lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency One, Victoria Nyeche described what happened as a violation of the rules of the House.

“What they (PDP) are doing is to create the catalyst for crisis and we don’t want that.

“The seventh Assembly battled with a lot of crisis and we don’t want the same re-occurrence for the eight assembly; but how can we not have crisis when things like these have started happening.

“The PDP cannot nominate and then elect somebody for us in the APC. We have our own rules and we decided who we want based on our rules, only for the Speaker to give room for more nominations and then the PDP had to pick for us,’’ she said.

Rivers Assembly: APC members stage walkout over imposition of minority leaderBy Victor Azubuike on January 17, 2017@dailypostngr
Enugu-Assembly-mace
The Member representing Akuku-Toru Constituency Two in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Fredrick Anabraba has emerged as the Minority Leader.

DAILY POST reports that Anabraba emerged against the wish of the APC caucus in the Rivers State House of Assembly.


The APC Caucus led by Victoria Nyeche had nominated the member representing Eleme State Constituency, Josiah Olu for the position of Minority Leader.

But the nominee of the APC Caucus was not allowed by the PDP members who were in the majority.

It was PDP’s Sam Ogeh who nominated Fredrick Anabraba as Minority Leader, before a vote was taken, and he emerged victorious.

The APC lawmakers, thereafter, staged a walkout as a mark of protest against what they considered to be imposition of a Minority Leader on them by the PDP.


The leader of the APC Caucus and lawmaker representing Port Harcourt Constituency One, Victoria Nyeche described what happened as a violation of the rules of the House.

“What they (PDP) are doing is to create the catalyst for crisis and we don’t want that.

“The seventh Assembly battled with a lot of crisis and we don’t want the same re-occurrence for the eight assembly; but how can we not have crisis when things like these have started happening.

“The PDP cannot nominate and then elect somebody for us in the APC. We have our own rules and we decided who we want based on our rules, only for the Speaker to give room for more nominations and then the PDP had to pick for us,’’ she said.


On his part, Josiah Olu of the APC from Eleme, said the imposition of the Minority Leader on the APC was a calculated attempt by the PDP to subdue the opposition in the House.

However, Samuel Ogeh of the PDP and Chairman of the House Committee on Information, said the emergence of Fredrick Anabraba was in line with the rules.

Ogeh said that the House relied on the Order Paper to take its decisions.

He said, “No trouble is brewing anywhere. Our rules are very clear on this.

“The rule does not say the House should abide by the position of any party. What the rule says is that the process of bringing in the Minority Leader must be through election by all members of the House.

“The rule did not say that members of the other party should not take part in the election. They know the rules but they are just trying to twist it.”

Similarly, the new Minority Leader, Fredrick Anabraba has also welcomed his election, which he said did not call for any controversy.