10th NASS: ‘Don’t take us for granted’, aggrieved aspirants warn APC

Aspirants kicking against the adoption of Honourable Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu as favoured candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th National Assembly stormed the All Progressives Congress national secretariat on Wednesday.

The aggrieved aspirants tagged the G-6 were led by incumbent Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Idris Wase. With him were Honourable Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, Sani Jaji, Yusuf Gadyi, Sada Soli and Mariam Onuoha. The Leader of the House, Al-Hassan Ado Doguwa was absent.

All the five aspirants were given the opportunity to speak.

Honourable Wase expressed disappointment over the consensus deal which was sealed by the APC National Caucus and ratified by the National Working Committee without consultations with other aspirants.

He said: “We are people who have been aspiring for the office of Speakership for the House of Representatives at the 10th National Assembly.

“We recall that at the meeting at the Villa, you asked us to slow down for the APC zoning arrangement

“We have been reaching out to our critical stakeholders to enjoy their buy-in.

“Unfortunately, while we were expecting the zoning arrangement we heard that the offices have been micro-zoned.

“None of us was consulted. We first read about it on social media and only heard that a list has been announced on television. It is most unfortunate.

“We feel betrayed as if our contributions aren’t recognised as if we aren’t members of this party.

“I don’t want to believe that President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is behind this.

“We have worked for the party. We are here to protest and appeal to you that what has been released would not stand.

“We must build this party on spirit of equity and fairness and the provisions of this Constitution.

“Mr Chairman, I want to appeal to the conscience of this institution of our party to review what has been done. We should not repeat what has happened in the past, the Tambuwalisation of the House and the emergence of Saraki as Senate President of the 8th National Assembly We shouldn’t be taken for granted.”

Another aspirant and Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Honourable Betara, recalled his contributions to stabilise the Green Chamber for the incumbent Speaker and lamented that Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila was about offering him and others the short end of the stick.

“I stepped down for Femi in 2019 when Senator Bola Tinubu called me. After the election, the president-elect still called me to hold the House for Femi. I told him I would work with Femi if he would relate with us with an honest mind.

“I have done well for the House and I have done well for the party. When we were going for several elections, I supported our members.

“I have done well for the NASS. Sir, I have 38 members including my chairman as members of my Committee. To stabilise the House for Femi, I co-opted a lot of our members.

“The person the Speaker is picking, we can’t work with him.

“The party is trying to zone two Presiding officers to one zone. It is never done! We need to sit again for more consultations,” he opined.

Yusuf Gadyi told Senator Adamu and other national officers of the party that the zoning arrangement just ratified was an insult to the party.

“The zoning in circulation is an insult to the motto of APC: Justice, peace and unity. What is happening has made some of us believe that Buhari is the most perfect democrat in our party. He could have imposed a presidential candidate but he refused to do that. Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo was the closest person to him.

“We are here to remind you of the motto of APC. Do we want unity when the North West wants to pick Deputy Senate President and Speaker and the North Central that gave four states is being relegated?

“What is in circulation isn’t acceptable to us. The NASS isn’t a federal executive Council of the president-elect. We lawmakers should be allowed to pick our leaders. Our party should not expect that our loyalty will be guaranteed at the expense of justice, fairness and equity. We will resist imposition.”