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The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Caucus in the
House of Representatives alleged yesterday that the President, Goodluck
Jonathan and his deputy, Namadi Sambo are uncomfortable with its role
in the lower legislative chamber.

The minority leader in the House of Representatives,
Mohammed Ali Ndume, disclosed this at a meeting with the leadership of
the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Abuja yesterday.

Mr Ndume claimed that, during a recent meeting with
the House leadership, Mr Sambo upbraided the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole
and the entire leadership for allowing the minority to make huge
impacts, especially in the area of defeating bills emanating from the
executive, even when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has the
majority in House.

“In fact, let me tell you sir, the Vice-President
complained at a meeting with the House leadership recently that how can
they (PDP) have a majority in the House and the minority parties are
killing their bills,” Mr Ndume told the ANPP leadership.

The minority leader, from Borno State, said there are
many members of the PDP in the lower legislative chamber, who shared
the views of the minority caucus and are willing to go with it anytime
there are important issues on the floor.

He said that the ANPP caucus, whose membership
currently stands at 42, are determined to continue to offer
constructive opposition. He said his success as the leader of the
minority so far could be attributed largely to the support from the
other members, who, he said channel their views through him on issues
on the floor.

Explaining the strategy through which the minority is
achieving its feats in the House with one voice, the leader stated that
“what I do in the House is not done by me alone. My colleagues here are
the brains behind all those things I do in the House. It is not every
time all of them will want to speak and so, they channel their views
through me. The 42 of us are equal to the 320 of them.”

The lawmaker expressed gratitude to the ANPP
leadership for inviting them to the meeting, which he said never
happened in the history of the party. According him, only last week,
the party leadership invited the ANPP members in the Senate and the
House to a dinner, stressing that it was an indication that the party
had finally come alive.

He assured party leaders that the caucus will help
shop for new members but quickly noted that Nigerians expected a lot
from the new chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu.

Party recruitment

Earlier in his welcome address, Mr Onu asked the ANPP
Caucus to fan out to the 36 states and shop for members for the party.
He said that the opposition party is determined to wrest power from the
PDP and form the government at the centre, and produce the next Speaker
and majority leader of the House.

“42 of you are 42 wise men. Don’t think of yourself coming back
alone; we want you to have the majority leader and the Speaker. We need
more honourable members and it is you that can do it,” he said. “Our
party is determined to win the next general elections. We therefore
want you to go to every zone of this country and the 36 states. You are
42, share the 36 states and distribute the rest among you.” Mr Onu
commended the ANPP legislators for not bowing to pressure, like others,
to defect to other parties, saying it shows that they are not only
honourable people but also love the country.