The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party will on Thursday begin a two-day consultation with the party’s members-elect of the ninth National Assembly.
The consultation will end on Friday.
The PUNCH had on Monday reported exclusively that the party’s leadership would meet with the 44 senators-elect as well as 118 members-elect of the House of Representatives in Abuja this week.
The meeting, according to sources, would decide among others, the aspirants members would vote for as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives after the proclamation and inauguration of the ninth session of the National Assembly on June 11.
It was also learnt that the parley would deliberate on whether the PDP members should contest presiding officers’ positions.
Another issue on the meeting’s agenda, according to another source, is the contentious voting method.
A senator told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that the caucus meeting would insist on the secret ballot as stipulated in the current Senate Standing Rule.
He said, “The meeting will also enable us to decide whether any of our member should contest as presiding officer or not.
“We would also decide on the aspirant to support for the President of the Senate position between Senators Ahmad Lawan and Ali Ndume.
“We would also decide on the aspirants that would get our votes between Femi Gbajabiamila and other aspirants contesting the position of Speaker.”
Meanwhile, strong indications emerged on Tuesday that the incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and the current Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, are perfecting strategies to seek re-election.
Dogara and Ekweremadu had neither denied nor confirmed their intention to run despite growing concerns among their colleagues that they might likely spring a surprise on the day of inauguration.
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