‘We expect strong opposition’ — Damagum meets with PDP reps-elect

The house of representatives members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met on Tuesday with the party’s national working committee (NWC) in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Fred Agbedi, acting leader of the group, said the meeting was convened to interact ahead of the inauguration of the 10th assembly in June.

Agbedi, who is a ranking member of the house, said the party’s national leadership must guide members-elect on the election of the principal officers of the lower legislative chamber.

“It behoves on us to make it possible to meet and interact with our party and to ensure that all of us who were elected under the PDP have the opportunity of being present to interact with our party to give us some guidance,” he said.

 He said it is important for members-elect to “call ourselves together and to invite our chairman” to “guide, advise and direct us where necessary as we journey” to the inauguration of the assembly.

‘WE NEED THE RIGHT OPPOSITION’

While addressing the members-elect, Iliya Damagum, acting chairman of the PDP, asked them to be “loyal” to the country and the party.

Damagum said the members-elect are expected to put up the “right opposition” to ensure the right things are done in the parliament.

“First to the country because it is when you have a country that you can even exist as a lawmaker. To the party, because most of you that have spoken have been grateful to the party for giving you the platform to be here today. So, the party expects nothing less from you other than to be a loyal party member,” he said.

“You’ve done well, I’ve interacted with some of your leaders towards the build-up to this gathering and I don’t expect any PDP member to be less in terms of that acumen and capacity. We’ve always been known to be full of capacity in terms of what we want to achieve. I don’t want anything less from you.

“I’ve always had hope in the house of representatives. I’m not saying the senate is not doing much but you are the people that are directly closer to the constituencies and so much is expected of you and I hope that ours is going to be a very credible opposition and we will give it to them.

“We’ll put them to task. We’ll put them on their toes to make sure that the right thing is being done in this country because that is what we need in this country at this moment.”