Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has announced the appointment of Hon. Fred Agbedi, PDP, Bayelsa, as the new Minority Leader of the House.
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Abbas made the announcement during plenary on Thursday, following a letter from members of the minority caucus informing the House of their decision.
According to the Speaker, Agbedi’s emergence was the unanimous decision of the minority caucus.
In the letter read by Abbas, the caucus said Agbedi, one of the most experienced lawmakers in the House, was chosen by consensus to occupy the position vacated by the former Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda.
Chinda resigned from the position after defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and emerging as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Rivers State.
The Speaker also announced other changes in the minority leadership.
Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, ADC, Sokoto, was named Deputy Minority Leader, while Hon. Manu Mansur Soro, APM, Bauchi, was announced as Minority Whip.
Hon. George Ozodinobi, who had acted as Minority Leader following Chinda’s exit, returned to his position as Deputy Minority Whip.
Abbas said the announcement had completed the body of principal officers of the House.
He assured the newly announced minority leaders that the leadership of the House would work with them to advance the business of the legislature and ensure effective implementation of the House legislative agenda.
The announcement sparked a joyful mood among opposition lawmakers, some of whom had reportedly insisted that they would not participate in Thursday’s proceedings if the names of the minority leaders were not announced.
Before Agbedi’s emergence, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere had been linked to the race to replace Chinda as Minority Leader.
His reported nomination, however, generated controversy, including allegations of signature forgery and disputes within the opposition caucus.
The House had earlier adopted a resolution defining “cognate legislative experience” for principal officers to mean members who have completed at least one full four-year term, a decision that effectively shut the door on first-term lawmakers seeking principal offices.
With Agbedi’s appointment, the prolonged dispute over the minority leadership of the House appears to have been resolved, leaving the opposition caucus with a new leadership structure ahead of further legislative business.
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