A group of lawmakers under the aegis of Active Minority has vowed to resist any attempt to impeach the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.
But the pro-Chinda lawmakers led by a PDP member from one of the Northern states has also been meeting in Abuja ahead of the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, October 7th.
The 89 members of the minority caucus in the House of Representatives declared their support for China following some minority lawmakers to replace Chinda over allegations of not providing leadership and working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and being a close confidant of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
A member of the Active Minority, who was privy to the meetings, spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that they were prepared to counter the moves by certain interests in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He noted: “We have stumbled on a plot by certain leaders in the PDP and ADC to replace the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda. His only sin is the allegations that he is close to the FCT minister, Chief Wike.
“But I can assure you, we are ready for those sponsored to come to the floor and execute this insidious plan. Our group, the Active Minority, is prepared to resist this because Hon. Chinda has discharged his responsibilities as an opposition leader very well.
“As I speak with you, the Active Minority has a membership strength of 89 honourable members and more honourable members are identifying with us. Mind you, the entire opposition lawmakers are about 140 and we have an overwhelming majority to counter any undemocratic move.”
Asked about the list of the Active Minority, the lawmaker said “We are keeping our identities under wraps until the House resumes. We don’t want to let the cat out of the bag now. Our strategy is also within us until we meet on the battlefield,” he added.
The lawmaker stressed that the reasons why they are supporting the minority leader was because of his unwavering commitment to upholding democratic principles and advocating for the rights of the Nigerian people.
“Chinda has since 2023 vehemently stood against the detection of opposition lawmakers to APC. One of Chinda’s notable contributions lies in his staunch opposition to members of the opposition defecting to the ruling party, citing violations of constitutional provisions and electoral laws.
“He has always been a strong voice drawing the attention of the leadership to at least obey the law and do what is right,” he noted.