The House of Representatives minority caucus will meet in Abuja on Monday to deliberate on the lawsuit filed by its leader, Kingsley Chinda, to stop the alleged plot to kick him out of office.

A notice of meeting issued on Sunday and co-signed by Agbedi Frederick, leader of the Peoples Democratic Party caucus; Afam Ogene (Labour Party); Muktar Umar-Zakari (New Nigeria Peoples Party) and Peter Uzokwe for the Young Peoples Party listed the agenda of the event to include “Response to the Lawsuit instituted by House Minority Leader, Rt Hon Kingsley Chinda, against all minority parties and any other business.”

Recall that Chinda last week in a writ of summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1936/2025, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, dated September 25, 2025, stated that there were ongoing moves to remove him as Minority Leader of the House because of his close relationship with the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The Rivers lawmaker argued that if allowed, his removal would amount to unconstitutionality and a violation of his fundamental right to freedom of association, and on this note, prayed the court to restrain the defendants from proceeding with their alleged plans.

Listed as 1st to 12th defendants in the suit were the National Assembly, the Clerk of the National Assembly, the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, PDP, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Social Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress and Young Progressive Party.

The defendants were said to have allegedly resolved to remove Chinda because his leadership is one of the reasons the legislature is being tagged as a “rubber stamp” to the executive.

Chinda is allegedly seen as compromised by the minority leadership in the 10th Assembly, and opposition lawmakers have reportedly resolved to remove him when the House resumes from its vacation on Tuesday, October 7.

The minority leadership under Chinda has been accused of being overly cosy with the All Progressives Congress government, thus rendering them ineffective in holding the ruling party accountable for pressing issues like crippling hardship, rampant insecurity, and widespread corruption.

This suspicion has led to the opposition in the House losing trust in Chinda and in the opposition’s ability to provide robust oversight, thus sparking public outcry.

Specifically, Chinda is accused of failing to convene a single Minority Caucus meeting since the inauguration of the 10th House of Representatives over two years ago.

Additionally, he has been criticised for granting media interviews that contradict the collectively agreed position of the PDP and for allowing the Minority Caucus to be perceived as a lame-duck Assembly.

However, Chinda decided to be one step ahead and approached the court to challenge his purported removal by seeking the following declarations against the defendants:

“A DECLARATION that the move to remove the Plaintiff from his position as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on account of his association with Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, the current Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, is a clear violation of the Plaintiff’s right to freedom of association as guaranteed by Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“A DECLARATION that the Defendants lack the vires to remove the Plaintiff from his position as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria arbitrarily without full compliance with the provisions of Order 7 Rule 14 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Eleventh Edition, and in a manner offensive to all civilised democratic norms.

“AN ORDER of INJUNCTION restraining the 6th-12th Defendants, their privies, agents, servants, officers howsoever described from further proceeding with any act or exercise purportedly aimed at removing the Plaintiff from his position as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in violation of the sacred provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and without compliance with the provisions of the extant Standing Orders of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Chinda also sought an order of injunction restraining the 1st-5th Defendants, their privies, agents, servants, officers, howsoever described, from giving effect to any exercise or instrument purporting to have removed him in disregard of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), or any Rules or Standing Orders of the House of Representatives.

He also sought any other order(s) as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.

Chinda, in his statement of claim, averred that he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party with a membership card.

Chinda, who represents the people of Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State in the House of Representatives, comprising 360 members, stated that the APC forms the majority in the House of Representatives with 233 members, while the PDP, his party, has about 83 members in the House, though the number is now subject to the current wave of defections.

He mentioned other parties with minority members in the House of Representatives to be LP with 22 members, NNPP with 15 members, APGA with 5 members, SDP with 2 members, ADC with 1 member and YPP with 1 member.

He contended that his party, the PDP, having the majority members of the minority parties, has the option of producing the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.