Reps minority leader asks court to stop alleged plan to remove him

By Ayox Ojo

Contentions over leadership of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives has assumed a new dimension with the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, filing a suit to stop alleged plan to remove him from office.

Some opposition lawmakers have faulted Chinda’s leadership, accusing him of being one of the reasons they have not been able to live up to the expectations of checking activities of the ruling party in the Green chamber, a situation that has resulted in the legislature being tagged a ‘rubber stamp’ to the executive.

Specifically, the minority leadership under Chinda has been accused of being overly cozy with the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, a situation which has rendered it unable to hold the ruling party accountable on pressing issues affecting Nigerians like crippling hardship, rampant insecurity, and widespread corruption.

Also, Chinda has been accused of refusal to convene any meeting of the Minority Caucus meeting since the inauguration of the 10th House of Representatives over two years ago.

He has also been criticized by his colleagues 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.

Thus, there have been speculations that key opposition lawmakers are gearing up to demand for the removal of Chinda as their leader when the House resumes from its vacation next Tuesday, October 7.

However, having gotten wind of the move, Hon. Chinda has filed a suit against the speculated plan to remove him.

The Minority Leader named the National Assembly, House of Representatives, the Clerk, the Speaker and all minority parties, as defendants in the suit.

In the court document dated September 15, 2025, Hon. Chinda is seeking an injunction to restrain the defendants (the National Assembly, House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, all minority parties and Clerk of the House) and their agents from removing him as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

The Rivers lawmaker alleged in the suit, according to the court documents, that the opposition against him was because of his close association with Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Governor of Rivers State.

Wike is notably the only PDP member in President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led cabinet.

However, some opposition lawmakers have faulted the suit, describing it as attempt at self-preservation that failed to take into consideration the collective good of the legislature and essence of opposition voice in a democracy.

The opposition lawmakers likened the suit to a classic case of the guilty fearing accountability.

By rushing to court, Hon. Chinda may be attempting to buy time and stall the removal process, allowing the Minority Leadership to mobilize resources to compromise the process.

Already, it’s alleged that some members, especially from PDP and Labour Party are being wooed with between $2000 and $5000 not to endorse the removal of the Minority Leader.

Despite this, opposition lawmakers have expressed concerns that the current minority leadership’s apparent compromise and collusion with the ruling party undermine their ability to provide effective oversight and hold the government accountable. This has raised doubts about their commitment to genuine opposition objectives and the interests of the people.