Forum of National Assembly Legislative aides from North West has called on Senators and members – elect for the 10th National Assembly, contesting for leadership positions outside the choices recently made by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to back down.
The forum made the call in Abuja on Tuesday at a special press conference within the premises of the National Assembly.
The NWC of APC had in its zoning arrangements for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, picked Senator Godswill Akpabio from South-South, as the preferred candidate for Presidency of the Senate and Senator Jibrin Barau from North West for Deputy President of the Senate.
The party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, also picked Tajudeen Abbas from North West for the Speakership position of the House of Representatives and Benjamin Kalu from South East for the Deputy Speakership position.
The zoning arrangement was, however, not respected by some other APC federal lawmakers – elect interested in the positions like Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara West, vying for Senate President, Sani Musa vying for Deputy Senate President, Muktar Betara, vying for Speakership of the House of Representatives.
But in their support for the choices made by the NWC of APC, the National Assembly Legislative Aides from North West said the party was in order for picking Senator Jibrin Barau for Deputy President of the Senate and Tajudeen Abbas for Speakership of the House of Representatives.
The forum led by its Zonal Leader, Abdulrazaq Dunkawa and Secretary, Silas Gabriel Garba, said Northwest deserved the two presiding officers’ positions zoned to it, for contributing the highest number of votes to the APC in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He said: “We Legislative Aides from the North West like to place on record that the geo-political zone contributed the highest number of votes to the APC in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“Results from the elections show that North West played the crucial role of keeping APC in power by securing the majority of Honourable members and Distinguished Senators in both chambers.
“The Zone no doubt rightly deserves the zoning made by the party as far as leadership of the 10th National Assembly is concerned.
“We, therefore, call on other contestants to allow for party supremacy to establish discipline, order and legislative democracy to thrive in the 10th National Assembly.”
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