A fresh wave of discontent is rocking the House of Representatives as Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, has dragged the legislature to court in a bid to stop alleged moves to oust him from office.

Chinda’s leadership has come under intense scrutiny, with many lawmakers accusing him of weakening the opposition bench and contributing to the perception of the 10th Assembly as a “rubber stamp” to the executive arm.

The crisis has been brewing for months, fueled by what critics describe as the minority leadership’s “compromises” with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). There are strong indications that some opposition lawmakers are planning to push for Chinda’s removal when the House resumes from recess on Tuesday, October 7.

Chinda and his team have been accused of being too cozy with the APC-led government, thereby failing in their duty to hold it accountable on burning national issues such as crippling economic hardship, worsening insecurity, and endemic corruption.

Specifically, critics fault the Minority Leader for failing to convene a single caucus meeting since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly more than two years ago. He has also been accused of granting interviews that contradict the PDP’s official stance and of allowing the minority caucus to be seen as a “lame duck” opposition.

Instead of addressing these grievances internally, Chinda has approached the court, naming the National Assembly, the Speaker, the Clerk of the House, and all minority parties as defendants. Many lawmakers interpret this as an act of self-preservation rather than a defense of democratic opposition.

In his filings dated September 15, 2025, Chinda alleged that the plot against him is tied to his close political association with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Governor of Rivers State, who is also the lone PDP member serving in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.

Some opposition members, however, say Chinda’s legal action only reinforces suspicions that he fears accountability. According to them, the move is a strategy to “buy time” and possibly mobilize resources to frustrate his removal. There are even reports that some lawmakers from both the PDP and Labour Party are being offered between $2,000 and $5,000 to back off from endorsing his ouster.

Despite the legal hurdle, several opposition lawmakers insist that the current minority leadership has compromised too much, eroding public trust in their ability to provide effective checks on the ruling party. For them, the heart of the battle is not just about Chinda’s position, but about restoring credibility to the voice of the opposition in Nigeria’s democracy.