President Bola Tinubu has reassured members of the incoming 10th National Assembly that his administration remains firm on the choice of candidates for the presiding officers’ positions made by the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
President Tinubu spoke on Wednesday night when he met with Senators-elect and Members-elect of the party at the Presidential Villa, with APC governors and other leaders of the party in attendance.
About a month ago, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) announced the endorsement Senator Godswill Akpabio, who is returning to the upper legislative chamber to represent Akwa Ibom North West district, as the President of the 10th Senate.
The NWC also approved Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano North district) as its Deputy Senate-nominee, while the Hon. Abass Tajudeen (representing Zaria federal constituency, Kaduna State) as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Hon. Ben Kalu (Bende federal constituency, Abia State) is the party’s preferred candidate as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Details emerging from last night’s meeting revealed that the President spoke firmly about the need to work for the victory of the APC’s candidates for the 10th National Assembly leadership.
A source privy to the meeting confirmed to newsmen: “The President appealed and begged them to work for Akpabio, Abbas, Barau and Kalu respectively.
“He said the success of his administration largely depends on whether or not he gets it right with the leadership of the National Assembly”.
He was further quoted as saying that “the candidates were chosen for the stability of the nation”.
Those in attendance among the speakership aspirants were the chairman of the ninth House Appropriation Committee, Hon. Muktar Betara Aliyu from Borno State; chairman of the Navy Committee, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi from Plateau State; Hon. Miriam Onuoha from Imo State, who chaired the People With Disability Committee; and Chairman of the Committee on Water Resources, Hon. Sada Soli from Katsina.
“Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase from Plateau State and Aminu Sani Jaji from Zamfara were conspicuously absent, despite getting invitations for the meeting”, the source added.
During the House valedictory session earlier yesterday, Wase had said that he would go ahead and contest for the leadership of the House because it had been prophesied that he would become Speaker.
Wase stated this after the House Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa pleaded with other aspirants to step down for the APC consensus candidate, Tajuddeen Abbas.
Wase, who spoke immediately after Doguwa, said that, as a democrat who believed in contests, he was determined to continue with the race until the end.
He added that his contest is in pursuit of a prophecy by the former governor of old Plateau State, the late Solomon Lar, who predicted his coming to the House of Representatives and becoming the Deputy Speaker and his chances of clinching the Speakership.
“Of course, I want to appreciate my political leaders, among whom I would say was Solomon Lar, who, when I was contesting in 2007, I went to him and he prophesied the number of times I will come to this Assembly, and I will tell this crowd and to the world that he said I will come to the Assembly in the number of times and prophesied even the number of leadership [positions] that I will attain [including] the Deputy Speakership. He prophesied [that when I return, I will be Speaker. I believe, In sha’Allah, I will be the Speaker of the Green Chamber”, Wase insisted.
