All Progressives Congress governors have vowed not to interfere in the election of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.
This was part of the decision take at meeting of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) in Abuja in the early hours yesterday.
At the meeting held in Kebbi Governor’s Lodge in Asokor, the APC governors said they opted to stay out of matters concerning the incoming 10th NASS leadership because the new and old members are intelligent enough to understand the expectations of Nigerians from the governing party.
Chairman of the PGF and Kebbi State governing, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, told journalists after the meeting that the federal lawmakers are experienced enough to exercise their rights of choosing leaders that would better the lots of Nigerians and stabilise the polity.
Bagudu said, “We believe that our members in the 10th National Assembly are people with wealth of experience that will bring it to bear in choosing the new leadership. Many of them, including the freshers, will be mindful of the party, its manifesto and the expectations of Nigeria from our party.
“They know the importance of working with other stakeholders within and outside the party. So, they will exercise their rights of choosing leaders in a way that will make Nigeria a better country and make our polity more stable”.
On the party’s zoning arrangements in the election of the National Assembly leaders, he said, “The National Assembly leadership is an elective leadership. So, while congratulating them we also believe National Assembly members, particularly members of our party have the wisdom to make choices of the leaders that will be reflective of consultations within the party and outside the party for the benefit of Nigeria.”
On what they discussed at the meeting, the Kebbi governor said, “The PGF met and reviewed our performance in the general elections and preparations for supplementary elections. We also reviewed developments in the polity, particularly the incidents of a few days ago, in which we have issued a statement condemning the treasonable call for Interim government.
“We made it clear that Nigeria democracy has prospered and despite all challenges we are still beckoning to the light of many countries. We have seen elections that have been contested even in the so-called advanced democracy in the US with differences. Bush and Al Gore, Hillary Clinton and Trump with one disagreement and acrimony but the system says those who otherwise feel disenchanted should pursue the judicial option.
“It is the same thing with Nigeria. All the elections since the emergence of Shehu Shagari have been disputed by one participant or the other. So, we felt that Nigerians are wiser and expect the political actors to be considerate of the wider interest. And since democracy has won, we must move on”.
On the interim government, the PGF chairman said, “They should first define what they mean by an interim government. We had an election and somebody has been declared the winner in the person of President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has visited the candidates before and sent a delegation to others and he has called for support and willingness to work for others.
“That is what we want. We know that elections are not perfect tools for recruitment of leaders, but that is the best so far and we have adopted it, tested it, and achieved it. So, those calling for any other means of changing leaders outside what our constitution and laws provide are not doing so in the interest of our country. In fact, it is treasonable and condemnable”.
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