THE Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu, has urged members-elect of the House of Representatives to respect the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the green chamber.
Sanwo-Olu asked the APC members to support the party’s decision and fully support the chosen candidates for the House of Representatives speaker and deputy speaker positions.
He said this on Saturday, May 13 while receiving the chosen candidate of the APC for the position of speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, and for the deputy speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated in the first week of June and shortly after the inauguration, members of the national assembly will elect new presiding officers.
The ICIR reported that the APC recently released its zoning arraignment. In its plan, the party endorsed Tajudeen Abass from the Northwest as the House of Representatives speaker and Benjamin Kalu from the South East as his deputy.
The party also endorsed Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, as the senate president.
This decision has generated a lot of controversy within the party as members kicked against it.
The Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, was one of those who faulted the arrangement, while Ali Ndume, a lawmaker representing Borno South, dismissed the zoning list, insisting lawmakers would still have to vote to determine the leader of the red chamber.
Speaking on the power tussle for the NASS leadership, Sanwo-Olu said the leadership of the National Assembly must reflect Nigeria’s true federal composition and political diversity.
He urged the new representatives to ensure their engagement was total, transparent and inclusive, as the selected candidates possess the right traits to lead the House.
“Here today, I have seen diverse political parties and representatives from all regions coming together to collaborate in electing the speaker. I urge you not to stop at this; you should further deepen your engagement and extend the hand of comradeship to every member.
“I have observed that despite the party’s support, you are not resting on your oars and taking anything to chance.
“Other aspirants are eminently qualified to do the same engagement. They are known to us and will be brought to the room for conversation. We wish to ensure that the party’s position is respected and adopted in the green chamber when the House convenes.
“I have read about the speaker and deputy speaker aspirants. Your pedigree and resume speak to excellence. I believe you have what it takes to lead the House of 360 members from diverse backgrounds to have purposeful executive-legislative engagement and bring about meaningful dividends of democracy to our countrymen,” he said.
According to the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) retained the majority in the Senate and House of Representatives seats, with 57 and 162 members, respectively.
Beloved John is an investigative reporter with International Centre for Investigative Reporting.
You can reach her via: [email protected]