The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives will on Monday hold an emergency meeting to deliberate on the suit filed by the embattled Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, aimed at halting his planned removal.
The notice of the emergency meeting was jointly signed by: Hon. Agbedi Frederick, Leader, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus; Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, Leader, Labour Party Caucus; Hon. Muktar Umar-Zakari, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Caucus, and Hon. Peter Uzokwe, Leader, Young Peoples Party (YPP), respectively.
It reads: ‘To all Minority Members of the House of Representatives.
‘You are hereby invited to an emergency meeting to discuss recent developments in the minority leadership, particularly to review the lawsuit instituted by Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, against all members of minority parties in the 10th House of Representatives.’
According to the notice, the main agenda of the emergency meeting is: ‘Response to the Lawsuit instituted by House Minority Leader, Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chinda, against all Minority Parties’ and ‘Any other Business (AOB)’.
In response to the suit filed by Hon. Chinda, Justice J. O. Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had issued an interim order restraining the removal of Hon. Kingsley Chinda as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, pending the determination of a substantive suit filed by the lawmaker.
Justice Abdulmalik made the order following an ex parte motion brought before the court on September 15, 2025, and filed a day later by Chinda, who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State.
The motion sought to prevent what the lawmaker described as an unlawful and politically motivated move to oust him from his leadership position in the House.
The suit has the National Assembly, its Clerk, House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Young Progressives Party (YPP) as defendants.
The application, argued by a team of senior lawyers led by Dr. J. Y. Musa (SAN), urged the court to intervene and maintain the status quo, alleging that certain members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly loyalists opposed to Chinda’s association with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, were plotting to unseat him in violation of legislative procedures.
In the ruling delivered by Justice Abdulmalik, the court noted that the reliefs sought in the ex parte application mirrored those in a pending Motion on Notice filed in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1936/2025.
The judge emphasized the need to ensure a fair hearing for all parties in line with Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The court ordered that the Plaintiff, Hon. Chinda, must immediately serve all relevant court processes, including the Motion on Notice, on the Defendants. All parties are to maintain the status quo to prevent any act that could render the outcome of the case a fait accompli.
The hearing on the Motion on Notice seeking an interlocutory injunction is scheduled to take place in due course.
Hon. Chinda’s legal team argued that, according to Order 7 Rule 14 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (Eleventh Edition), any change in the Minority Leadership must be made by a majority of members of the minority parties and only after due notice to the House – procedures they claim are not being followed.
In a 14-point affidavit in support of the application, Chinda asserted that the House of Representatives is currently on recess, and many minority members are unavailable, making any legitimate leadership change impossible at this time.
His perceived alliance with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is the primary reason behind the move to oust him, and he added that such political victimization infringes on his constitutional right to freedom of association under Section 40 of the Constitution.
Hon. Chinda maintained that only the Court’s intervention can stop what he describes as an unconstitutional removal attempt that, if allowed, could destabilize the legislative process and violate internal House rules.
He further warned that without a restraining order, the minority parties could act before the defendants file their appearance and defence within the 30-day legal window, thereby undermining the judicial process.