National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, asked all the Senators and members of House of Representatives elected on its platform to elect their principal officers through the caucuses in the National Assembly.
Speaking with journalists after a meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the lawmakers officers must be guided by issues of ranking, gender and religion while electing their principal officers.
PDP as a minority party in the National Assembly would have the following positions: Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader; Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
According to Metuh, the PDP will not interfere in who emerges as principal officers of both the red and green chambers, adding that in line with the Standing Orders, these officers are elected through the caucuses of the party and not the leadership of the party sending lists of preferred candidates.
Metuh, who disclosed that the NWC during the meeting, zoned the respective principal offices to the six geo-political zones, said that the Senate Minority Leader goes to South South; Senate Minority Whip has been zoned to the North Central; North-East has Senate Deputy Minority Leader and South West has Senate Deputy Minority Whip.
For the House of Representatives, the PDP zoned the Minority Leader to South South; Minority Whip goes to North West; South East has Deputy Minority Leader and North East has Deputy Minority Whip.
Metuh said: “In consonance with the provision of your Standing Rules, you are through this medium advised to use your various zonal party caucuses to choose the party’s principal officers to enable you provide effective opposition in the respective chambers of the National Assembly.”
