At the moment, the race for the Speakership of the House of Representatives is gathering steam by the day as contenders jostling for the exalted seat are reaching out to critical stakeholders to canvas for support.
This is even as members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition political parties especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contend that they can have a go at the seat in view of their impressive outing in the recently held general elections.
But, since the introduction of the presidential system of government in 1979, no ruling party in Nigeria has failed to win a majority in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
LEADERSHIP reports that following the outcome of recent supplementary elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the number of elected members of opposition parties in the 10th House of Representatives is now 182, one vote more than the statutory benchmark 181 votes required to elect a speaker, hence the opposition caucus has resolved to clinch the coveted position.
Also, the opposition parties won more seats than the ruling APC in the February 25, 2023 elections for the House of Representatives. More than 30 seats were however not decided until the supplementary polls held on April 15, 2023. Although INEC is yet to publish a comprehensive and updated list of members-elect for the 10th National Assembly from the one it released before the April 15 supplementary polls.
The election had the APC winning 162 seats while the seven opposition parties had won 163 seats. The lack of an updated list has however not stopped the opposition parties from claiming the majority in the House of Representatives.
While the nation awaits INEC’s updated list, Civichive, which has been publishing election results as declared by INEC, the APC has won 175 seats in the House of Representatives while the PDP has won 118 seats. The Labour Party has 35 seats with the NNPP winning 19 seats. APGA has five seats, while SDP and ADC have two seats each. YPP has a single seat with three seats still pending.
Nevertheless, pundits opined that the fact that their political parties did not make the majority, opposition political parties are now scheming to ensure that they are not left out in the composition of the leadership of the 10th Assembly, especially as presiding and principal officers.
It would be recalled that while APC, then a young ruling party, dazed by its victory over PDP and foot dragged on how to balance the power equation among the blocs within its fold, the n-PDP led by former Senate President Sen Abubakar Bukola Saraki and a former House Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, in alliance with PDP lawmakers, took control of the National Assembly leadership.
Saraki and Dogara’s emergence was against the run of play at the time, considering that current Senate President Sen Ahmed Lawan and the incumbent Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila were the party’s favorites to get the positions then.
But other bookmakers averred that such notion might not happen because the party would leverage the benefit of hindsight. Also, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, whose input on the matter is the most critical, is considered a more hands on politician than his soon-to-be predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, to allow a repeat of the 2015 scenario.
Aspirants jostling for the Speakership at the moment are deputy speaker of the House, Ahmed Wase, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, Aliyu Betara, Benjamin Kalu, Aminu Sani Jaji, Princess Miriam Onuoha, Ibrahim Abdullahi Halims, and Tajudeen Abbas among others.
The national president, Coalition of Arewa Youth Groups for Progress and Development, Barr. Abdumalik Alfa Attahiru, said all speaker hopeful whose reputation has been tarnished by scandals should be given no more than a passing glance by his colleagues.
He noted that leaders are elected to serve the people and humanity with fairness and justice and not the other way around.
A political support group, South Eastern Democratic Group, called for the speaker of the 10th Assembly to emerge from the north. This is coming amid the echo of ethnic chauvinism that played out behind the scene at the 2023 general election and has continued to reverberate.
The group president, Henry Nwankwo said its call was sequel to independent assessments of character and integrity of aspirants from the South East geo-political zones. Insisting that the groups’ findings were heart-wrenching, he called for proper scrutiny on all candidates and the need to avert the reopening of the age-long traditional fault lines between the north and the south.
Insisting that the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has raised the bar in terms of credible legislation, he said the next speaker must be a man whose integrity is not in doubt.
He added that the next speaker must ensure that the House of Representatives is more transparent, accountable, vibrant, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of Nigerians.
However, amid the political permutation ahead of the speakership election, a coalition of three groups, Northern Patriotic Front, South-West Professionals, and Arewa Youth Groups – has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to prioritise merit over ethnicity in selecting a new speaker for the 10th National Assembly.
They also asked a member of the House of Representatives from Abia, Benjamin Kalu, to drop his ambition to become speaker for other candidates in the SouthEast region.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that Kalu who is the current spokesperson of the house had since indicated interest to secure the gavel of the house.
The chairman of the Northern Patriotic Front, Ali Abacha, said the lawmaker should allow himself to be groomed before he can become speaker.
In pursuance of balancing act and preservation of Nigeria’s sanctity, he said he believes the leadership of the National Assembly should be zoned to the south-east, however, in doing so, equity, justice, and fairness should be applied.
He said, “The Holy Bible and Qur’an enjoin that, if a man does not work, he should not eat or a man should not reap where he did not sow. Hon Benjamin Kalu did not sow in APC but rather, he’s an opportunist, who wants to leverage primordial sentiments to pass through the backdoor to the leadership of the National Assembly.
“He must learn from the process that brought Hon Gbajabiamila in. Besides, he should tell Nigerians his role in the presidential election that took place in the Southeast to warrant the trust of his party’s leadership to entrust such a sensitive position to him.
“In Galatians 6:7, the Bible says, ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows’. In Qur’an, 4:79, Allah says: ‘Whatever good befalls you, it is from Allah; and whatever ill befalls you, it is from yourself’.
“What we have said here is clear, they should bury such ambition and allow experienced lawmakers to run the affairs of the house.’’
He continued: “The experience of the 8th Assembly serves as a cautionary tale. During that time, the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari faced significant setbacks due to internal conflicts within the APC, hindering the implementation of party policies. To avoid a repeat of such challenges, it is crucial for the ruling party to secure the right leadership within the National Assembly”.
He stressed that the position of the Speaker should not be subject to experimentation or influenced by ethnic sentiments.
“Instead, the ruling party should prioritize selecting the best candidate for the country’s best interests,” he added.
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