Ugochinyere’s Minority Leader Ambition Hit As Reps Adopt New Rule On Principal Officers

The ambition of Ikenga Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State, to become the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives has suffered a major setback following a new interpretation of eligibility rules for principal officers.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

On Wednesday, June 10, the House resolved that only lawmakers who have completed at least one full four-year term are qualified to serve as principal officers.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Babajimi Benson, who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos State, during plenary presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

The Minority Leader position became vacant after the former occupant, Kingsley Chinda, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and later emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Rivers State.

Ugochinyere, elected in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before later moving to the Action Peoples Party, is currently serving his first term in the House.

With the new interpretation, first-term lawmakers are now excluded from holding principal officer positions in the 10th Assembly, effectively ruling him out of contention.

His bid had recently gained traction after reports indicated that 61 lawmakers had endorsed him for the role, though the endorsement was later clouded by allegations of forgery and inducement.

During deliberations, Benson moved a motion seeking clarity on Order Seven, Rule 15 of the House Standing Orders, which relates to “cognate legislative experience” required for principal offices.

He argued that leadership positions in parliament globally are typically reserved for experienced lawmakers to preserve institutional memory and strengthen legislative effectiveness.

Benson further referenced the Senate’s own interpretation, which defines cognate legislative experience as completion of at least one full four-year term, with additional provisions for returning lawmakers with prior service.

The motion was seconded by Peter Uzokwe of Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, though an attempted amendment was ruled out of order by the Speaker after the vote had already been taken.

Following adoption, the House formally defined cognate legislative experience as the completion of at least one full four-year term and declared that no alternative definition would apply.

Some lawmakers, including Solomon Bob of Rivers State, questioned the necessity of the motion, arguing it could limit the Speaker’s interpretative authority over House rules. However, Speaker Abbas said he was willing to allow the House to take a collective decision on the matter.

With the resolution in place, attention now shifts to ranking opposition lawmakers who meet the newly established requirement for leadership positions.

The decision effectively bars first-term members from principal offices and, in the process, ends Ugochinyere’s immediate bid for Minority Leader in the current Assembly.