JUST IN: Bayelsa lawmaker Agbedi emerges House minority leader

Frederick Agbedi, representing the Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency, has been appointed the new Minority Leader of Nigeria's House of Representatives. His emergence fills the vacuum left by Kingsley Chinda, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

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The election of the House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria, the minority members of the 10th Assembly hereby unanimously nominate the following members by consensus to fill the vacant positions of the minority in the parliament.

The nomination was formally announced through a letter to the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, by the minority caucus. The caucus stated that its members had reached a consensus to fill the vacant principal offices allocated to opposition parties. Mansur Soro of the Allied Peoples Movement was named Minority Whip, and Abdussamad Dasuki of the African Democratic Congress became Deputy Minority Leader, completing the minority leadership structure.

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Number one is the Minority Leader, Hon Frederick Agbedi. Number two is the position of minority whip, and the person they have endorsed is Hon Mansur Soro (APM, Bauchi). The last but not the least is my brother from the North-West, Hon Abdussamad Dasuki (ADC, Sokoko) for the position of Deputy Minority Leader.

Speaker Abbas congratulated the newly appointed officers, emphasizing the House leadership's commitment to working with them to achieve the legislative agenda of the 10th Assembly. Agbedi, a seasoned lawmaker first elected in 2011, is expected to enhance the opposition's coordination and articulation of legislative matters. This leadership reshuffle occurs amidst ongoing political realignments and defections, potentially influencing the political landscape leading up to the 2027 general elections.

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Honourable colleagues, today the body of principal officers is complete, and I want to seize this opportunity on behalf of the whole entire House to congratulate the three people and to wish them all the best in their new positions.