By Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, two days after the lifespan of the current 9th National Assembly would have expired on Sunday, June 11.
Recall that the current National Assembly was inaugurated on June 11, 2019. Its lifespan will terminate on June 11, 2023, which is Sunday, a non-working day while the next day June 12 is a public holiday being Democracy Day.
And on June 13, all things being equal Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu would be elected by their colleagues as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives respectively. And coast is already clear for their emergence as they enjoy the support of their colleagues, the leadership of the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the opposition parties. The challenge they were facing in the North Central has dissipated by one action of President Tinubu, thereby making their leadership a done deal. Already those contesting for speakership from North Central have been told to step down following Tinubu’s gifting of North Central the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Following the appointment of a former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, three lawmakers from the North Central region in the race for National Assembly leadership have been urged to withdraw from the race.
The three lawmakers from the North Central in the race for National Assembly leadership are Senator Sani Musa, who wants to be Deputy Senate President; the current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase; and Yusuf Gagdi, who are both vying for the Speaker’s position.
President Bola Tinubu had on Friday last week named Akume from Benue as the SGF. The appointment came weeks after the North Central region protested against the zoning of the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker’s position to the North-West geopolitical zone.
In a statement at the weekend, a group, the North Central Progressive For Development, hailed Tinubu’s choice of Akume, saying the North Central had been settled. The statement, signed by NCPFD’s Chairman, Ibrahim Tajo, reads in part: “To the glory of God, our zone now has two key figures in the government. Aside from the SGF, another prominent leader of our zone, in the person of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, has been the National Chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, in the last 15 months.
“While Senator Adamu controls the affairs of our party through the instrumentality of the National Working Committee, our brand-new SGF is the engine room of Tinubu’s administration. Thus, President Tinubu has wiped away our tears in the North Central geopolitical zone.
“Weeks ago, when the positions of the Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were zoned by the President and the leadership of our great party to the North-West geopolitical zone, we protested against the sidelining of the North Central and appealed for the review of the zoning arrangement given our contributions to the Tinubu presidency during the presidential election.”
The group therefore stated that: “For our three brothers, who are in the race for the National Assembly leadership, it is time for them to withdraw from the race in line with the decision of the president and our party. Don’t rock the boat, we have been rewarded.”
Also, ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly, the spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere has endorsed Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu for Speaker, Deputy Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.
He also disclosed that the controversy that the House Rules were tampered with were not true, just as he said that the House Rules were last printed in December 2020 and not after the 2023 election and by the Rules the election will be by open ballot system.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja, Ugochinyere, a member-elect for Ideato North, South Federal Constituency said that 62 members-elect from the opposition parties and himself have already thrown their weight behind Abbas and Kalu.
The CUPP Spokesman who described Abass and Kalu as men of integrity, and competence to preside over the affairs of the tenth House of Representatives, stressed that it was time for national development, growth and stability and not the time for party politics, just as he called on the APC not to do anything that would discredit the character of Abbas and Kalu or the independence of the House if the duo emerge victorious.
Ugochinyere urged other candidates in the race hoping on opposition votes to stage a rebellion against the Tajudeen Abbas/ Benjamin Kalu ticket, to as a matter of urgency, withdraw from the race and support Abbas and Kalu as the opposition votes would no longer be available for them.
“It is on this note that I call on my fellow colleague members-elect who are still in the race to stop and join the prefect of the class, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, to steer the ship of the 10th Assembly to beat the records of the other Houses in performance and achievement for Nigeria. The reason I say this is because the opposition party members votes which they are relying on for their anticipated rebellion is no longer available to them. Our common goal now should be beyond party and partisan politics and totally focused on Nigeria and her greater good. We want the best and we have selected the best and importantly, the selection is by merit.” the spokesperson declared.
“I do not speak for myself alone. I speak for the 63 likeminded Honourable members-elect of the opposition family who have agreed on a common vision for the 10th Assembly. We will transform to the TBK Group. Our 63 votes without any dissent or abstention will go for Hon. Tajudeen Abbas. In the coming days, Nigerians will come to know the identity of the TBK Group and will also feel our impact.”
Ugochinyere who analyzed the background of Hon Abbas and Hon. Kalu, said, “I have taken time to show that the man I chose to project has a history. He did not just come from nowhere, like we say in Nigeria. His track record shows a man with focus, believes in hard work and is humble. He is not a money miss road politician, his background is not doubtful and to the extent the eyes of man can see, he is clean. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas possesses all the needed qualities to be the next Speaker of the 10th Assembly. He is enviably educated, has a Doctorate Degree and eminently and vastly experienced to preside over the affairs of the House. He is highly resourceful and is manifestly of unblemished integrity which has earned him respect amongst our colleagues at the National Assembly and obviously his Party.”
According to him, with 43 Bills in the 8th Assembly, Hon Abbas had the 3rd highest number of Bills but with 74 Bills in the 9th Assembly, he was the lawmaker with the highest number of Bills and that 21 of those Bills have been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, “From available records, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has won several back-to-back awards as the Best Performing House of Representatives member for several years. Above all, he sponsored 43 Bills and 13 Motions in the 8th Assembly which was the 3rd highest number of Bills from any member. In the 9th Assembly, he equally sponsored 74 Bills and 7 Motions which turned out to be the highest by any member in the House. Interestingly, 21 of the Bills he sponsored have been assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“I did not come to this decision easily neither did I reach it in support of the zoning by the APC. In fact, I would have ordinarily been in the forefront of opposition to it. However, if they had not chosen Tajudeen Abbas, I would have chosen him and supported him. Sincerely, I had chosen him and when coincidentally the APC announced him as the choice of the Party I was in a dilemma and was tempted to move my support to another person. But on further introspection, I came to the conclusion that abandoning TJ Abbas for the fact that APC also chose him would have amounted to playing politics with the competence, capacity and character. I advised myself and I am happy I did. This is the time for national development, growth and stability and not the time for party politics.” He further called on the APC not to do anything that will tarnish the character of Hon. Abbas or the independence of the House.
Similarly, Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu has been endorsed by the Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is of the opposition, PDP. This has also increased the support for the duo from opposition lawmakers-elect from Osun State. The Osun State governor had while receiving Abbas and Kalu said, “We respect and support the APC zoning formula, I call on you all to support the APC zoning arrangement in the House, and kindly reciprocate our gesture by supporting the PDP agenda in the House. As we are supporting you, support Osun in our desire. We seek the support of the House for the appropriation of fund for the Osun State Airport project, so that the facility can open up our economy,” he said. All things are indeed working together for good in the incoming Tajudeen-Kalu leadership of the 10th House of Representatives
