The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a panel to probe its members role in the outcome of the June 11 National Assembly leadership election.
The main opposition is set to dig into how its members voted against its decision to back Senator Ali Ndume for the President of the Senate and Mr Umar Bago for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The results of the elections in the two chambers indicated that many PDP members voted for Dr. Ahmed Lawan as Senate President and Mr Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House.
The PDP yesterday inaugurated a 10-man committee to investigate why some of its members in the bicameral legislature failed to abide by its decision.
The committee, which is chaired by a former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, also has Senators Ben Obi, Ibrahim Mantu, Stella Omu and Abdul Ningi as members.
Other members of the committee are: Mr Yunana Iliya, Mrs Margaret Icheen, Mr Hassan Hyatt, Mr Austin Opara with Prof. Wale Oladipo as Secretary.
The committee is also mandated to find out whether there was any influence of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the flouting of the directive of the PDP by the opposition lawmakers.
One of the committee’s terms of reference is to find out and recommend ways to checkmate such tendencies in the future and ensure that all members work together to defend the interest of the party at all times and circumstances.
PDP’s Deputy National Chairman Elder Wole Akinwonmi inaugurated the committee on behalf of the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
He said: “The National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC) and indeed the party have the highest confidence and optimism that you will work for the actualisation of the terms of reference with the intent of defending and moving the party forward.”
Wabara said the assignment was a very serious one, promising on behalf of his team that the assignment would be diligently carried out to ensure that PDP members in the National Assembly remained intact and loyal to the party.
The committee was given three weeks to submit its report.
Also, a team of prominent members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, on Tuesday, raised a separate committee with a mandate to resolve the current leadership crisis rocking the party’s caucus in the House of Representatives.
A Third Republic Senate President Dr Iyorchia Ayu is the chairman of that panel.
Other members are: former Senate President David Mark, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and a former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Austin Opara.
