President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reassured elected members of the incoming 10th National Assembly that his administration remains firm on the choices of candidates for presiding officers’ positions made by the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The President stated this on Wednesday night when he met with Senators-elect and Members-elect of the APC at the Presidential Villa, with APC governors and other leaders of the party in attendance.
Details of discussions at the meeting, which kicked off 8 00pm on Wednesday showed that President Tinubu spoke firmly on the need to work for the victory of the APC’s candidates for t10th National Assembly leadership.
A source privy to the meeting told our Correspondent that “the President appealed to them to work for Akpabio, Abbas, Barau and Kalu.”
According to the source, “the President said that the success of his administration largely depended on whether or not he got it right with the leadership of the National Assembly.”
The President was further quoted to have urged them to see reasons with him, saying “the candidates were chosen for the stability of the nation.”
According to the source, “those in attendance among the speakership aspirants were: the outgone chairman of the 9th House Appropriation Committee, Hon Muktar Betara Aliyu from Borno, outgone chairman of Navy Committee, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi from Plateau, outgone chairperson of the People With Disability Committee, Hon. Miriam, Onuoha from Imo, as well as Chairman Committee on Water Resources, Hon. Sada Soli from Katsina.
“However, the outgone Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase from Plateau, and Aminu Sani Jaji from Zamfara were absent, despite getting invitation for the meeting.”
Recall that Wase had said during the House valedictory session on Wednesday that he would go ahead to contest for the Speaker’s seat because it had been prophesied that he would become Speaker.
Wase stated this after the House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC,Kano) pleaded with other aspirants to step down for the All Progressives Congress (APC) concensus candidate, Tajuddeen Abbas.
However, Wase, who spoke immediately after Doguwa, said, as a democrat who believed in contest, he was determined to continue with the race until the end.
He added that, his contest was in the 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 possibility of his 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 would come to the Assembly in the number of times and prophesied even the number of leadership that I would attain and the Deputy Speakership and he prophesied next when I return, and I believe I would be Speaker and I believe it. In sha Allah, I will be the Speaker of the Green Chambers,” Wase insisted.
From the look of things, there is a likelihood that only Wase would go to the floor to contest, while others may step down after the president’s appeal.
Recall that in 2015, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s indifference to the question of NASS leadership had led to the loss of the party’s candidates for the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila had lost their bids fid the Senate Presidency and Speakership to Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara respectively.
However, in 2019, with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in the saddled as national chair of the APC, he had worked in concert with party leaders, especially Tinubu to produce Lawan and Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker.
Source: The Conclave
