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Tag: NASS

  • Ahead proclamation: Reps-elect plot to reject APC, Tinubu’s anointed Candidate for HoR

    Ahead proclamation: Reps-elect plot to reject APC, Tinubu’s anointed Candidate for HoR

    The decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose Tajudeen Abass as its anointed candidate for the Speaker of the House of Representatives is no longer going to fly as the lawmakers are already shopping for another candidate, some members of the National Assembly have disclosed.

    This coming barely hours to when President Ahmed Tinubu scheduled meeting with opposition lawmakers-elect today.

    Some of the National Assembly members stated that the President, Bola Tinubu, and party leaders, would be forced to abandon Abass and might already be considering another lawmaker from the North-West region.

    “Even in the Aso Rock, the move to install Abass over the House of Representatives differs from a consensus of lawmakers from the North West, which the party zoned the position to,” one of the sources revealed.

    On Sunday reported that some federal lawmakers-elect revealed why the APC zoning arrangement for the leadership of the National Assembly could not stand.

    The lawmakers-elect in separate interviews had said they were not consulted before the announcements, which signalled the President Bola Tinubu government’s disposition of trying to handpick the leaders of the National Assembly and make them rubber-stamp.

    Recall that Tinubu amid the National Assembly leadership crisis had been scheduled to meet with the lawmakers-elect from opposition political parties over the intensifying tussle.

    The meeting is expected to be attended by opposition senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), among other opposition parties at the State House in Abuja.

    Meanwhile, the lawmakers, it was gathered, are planning to sponsor another lawmaker against the party’s wish.

    Sources also hinted that the President was looking in another direction to balance positions in the national legislature in order to avoid the 2015 experience where the party did not endorse the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

    “The handpicking of Abass by the APC has bred a cold war between President Tinubu and former President Buhari, where the latter was said not to have been consulted before the APC NWC decided to pick Abass for the role,” one of them said.

    “The lawmakers-elect met in Kano State and did not hide their feeling that they were disappointed and ready to scuttle the party’s zoning arrangement,” another source continued.

    “The conclusion is that the President and his predecessor needed to be adequately consulted before the decision. The lawmakers-elect have met our colleagues from the opposition and are not backing down. They are mounting pressure on President Tinubu.

    “The lawmaker they are preparing to face Tajudeen Abass is Aminu Jaji from Zamfara State, where Senator Abdulaziz Yari comes from; some of the party leaders have concluded to go for Aminu Jaji, who comes from the same state as Yari,”

    “We will see what happens when the President meets everyone this week. Everybody is putting their cards on the table. They may later disregard the President if his decision does not suit them.”

    Jaji, a House of Representatives member from Zamfara State, is a ranking supporter of President Tinubu and his predecessor, Buhari.

    He reportedly served as the contact and mobilisation director of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Council for the North-West region.

  • Six days to proclamation, Akpabio battles campaign attacks, denies tagging NASS corrupt body

    Six days to proclamation, Akpabio battles campaign attacks, denies tagging NASS corrupt body

    Six days ahead proclamation Senator Godswill Akpabio has denied a meltdown in his campaign to be Senate President on the heels of retribution over claims he said were being credited to him as having in the past alleged the National Assembly to be a corrupt body.

    Alleging a conspiracy by rivals to derail his campaign by rehearsing what he described as a false attribution to him, Akpabio affirmed on Wednesday that he has continued to maintain the support of the Stability Group.

    He claimed that as minister of Niger Delta Affairs that he put down the National Assembly and described the legislative branch as a cesspool of corruption.

    He has as such charged those crediting him with the claim to stop adding that no senator has withdrawn support for him as being alleged.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Jackson Udom,  described the news item as “unfounded, false and a calculated attempt to smear the seamless relationship between the former Minority Leader and his distingushed colleagues who are very much in support of his aspiration. They should stop the propaganda against Senator Akpabio because no Senator has withdrawn his support from him”

    The statement read, “as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Akpabio had described the parastatal under his  ministry as a cesspool of corruption and NOT the National Assembly.

    “He made this remarks whilst justifying the Forensic Audit of the Commission which was ordered by former President Muhammadu Buhari. In fact, he decried a situation where few individuals would corner huge contracts in the agency under the guise of giving them to the lawmakers without the knowledge of the lawmakers.

    “There was never a time whether in public or in his closets that he described the National Assembly, which he is a very proud member, as a cesspool of corruption. Those peddling and sponsoring such unfounded allegations are doing so for political gains. Any organized campaign of calumny against Akpabio will surely fail,” the aide said in defending Akpabio from claims of calling the National Assembly as corrupt.

  • Senate shifts valedictory session

    Senate shifts valedictory session

    The President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday,  announced that the senate has rescheduled its valedictory session from Thursday, June 8 to  Saturday, June 10.

    Lawan had announced on Tuesday at plenary  that the senate would hold its valedictory session on Thursday.

    The senate president, however, told members of the senate Press Corps that the shift in the date was due to a scheduled meeting of President Bola Tinubu with the lawmakers of the incoming 10th National Assembly on Thursday.

    “By the grace of God, we will still hold plenary tomorrow (Thursday) and then our valedictory session will be on Saturday.

    “It is because tomorrow, the  President will be meeting with the senators-elect and members-elect at 2p.m.

    “We believe that a session as significant, important,   historical and memorable as valedictory session of the senate requires a whole day. Not one, two, three hours. And therefore,  we pushed it to Saturday,” Lawan said.

    The Ninth senate would officially end its four-year tenure on  June 11.

    Lawan also hinted that the 10th senate would be inaugurated on Tuesday, June 13.

  • Many young Nigerians have lost hope in our system-Gbajabiamila laments

    Many young Nigerians have lost hope in our system-Gbajabiamila laments

    The outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila had decried that many young Nigerians have lost hope in the system and are leaving the country in droves to seek their fortunes in other lands.

    Gbajabiamila stated this during the valedictory session of the 9th House on Wednesday in Abuja at the National Assembly complex.

    According to him, if this trend must be stopped, a healthy vigorous growing economy that would provide opportunities for all who work hard to succeed through their labour and ingenuity.

    He also observed that adequate security must also be provided to protect the lives and property of the people.

    He said: “Despite the considerable investments we have made to improve our public infrastructure and the numerous reforms we have enacted to change how we administer the government, our country faces many significant challenges.

    “These challenges have caused many of our fellow citizens to wonder if the promise of democracy will ever become real in their lives. Too many of our young people have lost faith entirely and are choosing in droves to seek their fortunes and their futures in other lands. We are losing some of our best and brightest, and if we don’t act now, the consequences of this loss will shortly become painfully evident.

    “How do we ensure a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides opportunities for all who work hard to succeed through their labour and ingenuity? How do we protect our people from the marauders and insurgents, the petty criminals and assorted villains who wish to harm them, whether for profit or in service of other agendas? How do we restore faith in our young people so that so many of them no longer feel like the only way to achieve their best aspirations is to chase their fortunes in far away, often hostile lands? These are the critical questions all of us in government must answer or risk the unforgiving judgment of history. With each new day, we have an opportunity to make the hard choices and take the necessary actions to guarantee our nation’s future. With each new day, we have less time to act and a more outstanding obligation to act quickly”.

    Gbajabiamila also highlighted the many feats of the 9th House which has resulted in many legislative legacies which includes the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), Nigeria Start-Up Act, Electoral Act, constitutional review process, financial independence for State Houses of Assembly and State judiciary, as well as successful interventions in labour disputes.

    Others achievements of the House according to him are the January to December budget cycle, the Petroleum Industry Act and the Police Act amongst others.

    “These reforms did not end police misbehaviour in our country; soon enough, there was a national reckoning. We responded by working with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to establish a new framework of accountability to hold erring members of the Police Force to account for their conduct in the performance of their duties and compel the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to take responsibility for the failures of training and discipline that leads to such wrongful conduct.

    “And we appropriated the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of police brutality nationwide.

    “I sincerely hope that the work of police reform will continue in the House of Representatives until we achieve a system of policing that meets our nation’s needs and reflects the best of us”, he said.

    He lamented the inability to remove constitutional barriers that have stood in the way of women’ participation in the politics.

    He therefore urged the incoming 10th house of Representatives to do their best in removing some of the constitutional barriers that have long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of the country.

    “To succeed in our shared ambition of building a prosperous and peaceful country, we must do everything within our power to ensure that our daughters and those yet to be born can grow up in a more open, more equal society than their mothers did.

    “Unfortunately, we did not succeed in removing some of the constitutional barriers that have long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of our nation. This issue must continue to be at the fore of our national conversations. I hope the 10th House of Representatives will take up the mantle and do better than we did”, he added.

    Speaker Gbajabiamila who has just been appointed as the Chief Of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, assure that he will work to ensure a good relationship between the executive and legislature, while respecting the independence of the legislature.

    “This fundamental belief in the responsibility of government to be a force for good has been my guiding light. It will continue to be so in my new endeavours. I humbly ask for your prayers and support in this new chapter.

    “I assure you that in this new role, I will work to ensure a cordial and productive relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government whilst respecting the independence and prerogatives of the legislature.

    “The 9th House of Representatives is ending, and the 10th will shortly be convened. All of us, those whose time in office is ending, and those for whom duty continues, will face the judgment of history. I urge you to keep this in mind and let your actions be guided by the desire to ensure that you are not found wanting by man or God in the final judgment”, he said.

    This valedictory session brings to an end the 9th House which adjorned Sine Die.

    Come June 13 which is approximately less than 7days from today, the 10th Assembly would be inaugurated by the president and commander in chief of the armed forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, marking the beginning of the new legislative year which would run for the next 4 years.

    It is expected that the 10th House of Representatives would keep up the works of the 9th House, improve on the work already and increase legislation.

  • 10th NASS: There’s need for Tinubu to be cautious over emerging leaders-MD Africa Devt Studies Centre, Victor

    10th NASS: There’s need for Tinubu to be cautious over emerging leaders-MD Africa Devt Studies Centre, Victor

    Ahead proclamation of the National Assembly on June 13, the Managing Director of African Centre for Development Studies, ADSC, Victor Walsh Oluwafemi has advised President Bola Tinubu to tread cautiously over emerging leaders of the tenth Assembly.

    Victor made this disclosure in a chat with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday emphasizing that:

    “The outcome of the various meetings with the key contestants seems not to be yielding expected positive results and this is why our amiable president who has not taken an hour break after assumption of office to tread softly.

    “The drumbeats so far from the Senate is not looking too good because if it’s not adequately addressed we may have a heavily lopsided NASS leadership favoring one zone.

    “Also, the leadership tussle at the House of Representatives will breed unwarranted dissents in the 10th House and against the Tinubu Administration, leading to avoidable delays in lawmaking processes and in policy implementation. “

    Victor who had been a consultant to NASS for almost two decades pleaded with the president to look beyond the rhetorics and do the needful before his proclamation next week.

    He explained that: ” So far, the idea of a consensus candidate is not flying in both apex legislative chambers and this is a signal that all may not be too well if adequate consultation is not made before proclamation.

    “He has met with all the critical stakeholders as President-Elect and an inaugurated president and the coast is becoming more cloudy.

    “If the outcome of the meetings with contestants is not yielding expected results what is he offering them to shelve their ambitions.

    “They’re men who won elections and got elected, any negative sway may make them remain resolute.

    “There’s urgent need for the coast to be clearer at least 72hours before his proclamation as this will restore total confidence in the lawmakers-elect as 24hours in politics could become a milestone at the end of the day.

    “At this juncture, personal ambitions of aspirants for the leadership of the tenth Assemble should be trumped by inclusive governance and progressive principles so that the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu is entrenched even at National Assembly, knowing fully well the institution’s fundamental relevance to our national growth and development.”

  • BREAKING: House of Representatives dissolves 9th Assembly

    BREAKING: House of Representatives dissolves 9th Assembly

    Memories and emotions went high on Wednesday during the valedictory session of the House of Representatives, as Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila officially dissolved the 9th assembly.

    Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the Majority Leader of the House, had moved a motion to commence the valedictory session, while Rep Ndudi Elumelu, the Minority Leader seconded the motion.

    Gbajabiamila, in his valedictory speech, said: “I will miss all of you and miss this house, you have enriched my life and I cannot express how much you have impacted the house.

    In an emotion laden speech, Gbajabiamila said the joint efforts in nation building by members were to ensure that the dreams of the nation’s founding fathers did not die.

    He said, “We have come, we have seen and while we are yet to conquer, my enthusiasm to serve remained undiminished.”

    According to him, it has been the honour of his life to serve the people of the country.

    “I thank my constituency and I express gratitude to my colleagues for the privilege to serve.”

    He said since he assumed office, the house had changed drastically in such a manner he had not witnessed, adding that the change came with speed as witnessed in the last four years.

    He said the 9th House of Reps had governed well with some interventions, including COVID-19 pandemic, Police Reform Bill, Electoral Acts Amendment Bill, Constitutional Review, among others.

    According to him, “We have worked to take advantage of social and economic transformation that benefit us; we have left our mark on every sectors of our national life.”

    He said the House was able to introduce discipline on the Appropriation Act that now commenced from January to December of every year.

    According to him, the 9th House of Reps has ended and the 10th will commence.

    “I urge you to ensure that you are not found wanting by man or God in the final judgment.”

    Also, Rep. Julius Ihovhre (APC-Edo), said he would forever cherish the friendship he made in the 9th assembly, adding that such relationship would last forever.

    He commended the speaker for leading the house well and perfectly and demonstrated that he could manage a diverse group of people.

    “In your new roles as the Chief of Staff to the President, the challenges you will face are more than here, we plead with you not to abandon the spirit of excellence,” he said.

    He said Nigeria required the kind of leader with a sense of mission, while urging Gbajabiamila to ensure the Federal Government paid attention to basic education.

    Rep. Luke Onofiong (PDP-Akwa-Ibom) said members had made relationships that would last forever and commended his constituency for giving him the privilege to serve.

    He commended the speaker for accommodating members and relaxing the rules to give new members a voice, noting that the speaker was gentle enough to accommodate their errors.

    He urged the house to take the judiciary seriously with salary review.

    Rep. Yusuf Gadgi (APC-Plateau) on his part said, “In my constituency, Muslims are 30 per cent while Christians constitute 70 per cent but they have always sent me here and for using me as a good example of how Nigeria should behave.

    “What I want to say is the message of forgiveness, I want, on your behalf and other members, to forgive one another. In this assignments, we must have offended one another.

    His comment on forgiveness generated some uproar, as members grumbled endlessly.

    Unperturbed, Gagdi said “irrespective of the grumbling, what is right is right and people must learn to forgive others”.

    Rep. Aisha Duku (APC-Borno) expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the first woman to represent her constituency.

    “Mr Speaker you have blessed me to bless others, I have changed the perspective of politics in my area because this is the first time that a Fulani woman and a Muslim will come out from that area.

    “I have been able to enlighten people and bring out the women to vote, which hitherto they had not.

    “I have participated in Bills assented to by the president and today they are laws, I commend my committee as the Chairman, House Committee on INEC, for supporting me.

    Duku said she was now a better Nigerian, as she traveled to a lot of places in the country but her only regret was that no gender bill was passed.

    In attendance at the session of the 9th assembly were former speakers, House Leader such as Gali Na’abba, Patricia Etteh, Mulikat Akande and some former clerks of NASS.

  • HoR Committee wants presidential panel to probe Nigeria Air’s unveiling

    HoR Committee wants presidential panel to probe Nigeria Air’s unveiling

    The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation headed by Hon. Nnolim Nnaji has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately constitute a high powered presidential panel to undertake a holistic review of the Nigeria Air project.

    The aviation committee also recommended that all individuals, groups and organisations involved in the controversial unveiling and operation into Nigeria, the Boeing 737-800 aircraft painted in Nigeria Air livery be made to face prosecution.

    The committee in a resolution read by Hon. Nnaji at the end of the investigative hearing on the recent unveiling of the National carrier further emphasized the need for the proposed presidential panel after a careful review of the entire project advise the Federal Government on the way forward

    The committee came up with the resolutions after evaluating the submissions by all the stakeholders and that of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr Emmanuel Merebole who in his presentation admitted that the airline had not been launched rather the aircraft was chartered to test Nigerians’ acceptance of the project.

    Dr Merebole also told the committee that the Nigeria Air had not acquired any aircraft and that it had no air Operator’s Certificate, (AOC) which the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) Captain Musa Nuhu .also collaborated

    The Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO( Managing Director Basil Agbosrimi confirmed that the handling company was yet to acquire shares in the national carrier. The second named Nigerian institutional investor MRS did not turn up for the meeting just as Ethiopian Airlines also abstained.

    The committee equally established that shareholders’ agreement was yet to be executed which made it impossible to establish the funds being brought into the projects by all intended investors.

    Nnaji had during his opening statements stressed that the purpose of the interaction was to prepare a guide for the in-coming 10th Assembly to continue adding that the committee was not opposed to the the establishment of a national carrier but would want it transparently done.

    He said it was regrettable that the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika despite promises of supplying the committee details of the transactions failed to carry the House along in the entire arrangement.

    He however praised the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) for refusing to bend the rules in favour of the Nigeria Air urging the authority to remain steadfast in its oversighting of the industry.

  • 10th NASS: Akpabio’s bid shaky as senators-elect withdraw support

    10th NASS: Akpabio’s bid shaky as senators-elect withdraw support

    Days to the June 13 proclamation of the 10th National Assembly, the zoning formula of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC with regards to the office of the Senate President appeared to be shaky on Tuesday following concerns that some senators-elect might have withdrawn their support for the APC-backed candidate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    The development came as a Senator-elect from Kano State, Sumaila Kawu, warned President Bola Tinubu against interfering in the election of presiding officers of the two chambers of the 10th National Assembly.

    There were indications that senators-elect who were hitherto expressing support for Akpabio, are reportedly withdrawing on account of issues connected with his relationship with the National Assembly when he held sway as Minister of the Nigeria Delta.

    Three years ago, at a public hearing of an investigative panel at the House of Representatives, which was set up to probe corruption allegations at the Niger Delta Development Company NDDC, Akpabio had reportedly fingered the lawmakers as major beneficiaries of contracts.

    Some of the senators-elect hinted that they are having a rethink on Akpabio’s bid over accusations that he was disrespectful to the institution of the legislature when he, as the Minister of Niger Delta, openly accused National Assembly members of hugely benefiting from large contracts in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) without proof.

    “It is important that people who have gone to court, people who genuinely did jobs should be paid for their jobs. For me, I am not against it because, of course, who are even the greatest beneficiaries? It is you people. I just told you that we have records to show that most of the contracts in the NDDC are given out to members of the National Assembly”, the then minister had said.

    His utterances before the panel have now come back to haunt him.

    Deputy Director-General of the Akpabio/ Barau Campaign Organisation, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), had on Monday, appealed to senators-elect to support Akpabio’s bid.

    A senator-elect who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the withdrawal of support for Akpabio, querying how he can preside over a National Assembly he once despised.

    He said; “I have withdrawn support for Senator Akpabio. It is not only me. Many of us have withdrawn our support and it will show on the floor.

    “I used to have very high regards for Senator Akpabio as a person but I cannot support him to be the Senate President.

    “How can he (Akpabio) come and preside over an institution which he once described as a cesspit of corruption after benefitting from the same institution?,” the Senator-elect queried.

    On his part, Kawu said; “The constitution is explicit about how the President and Deputy President of the Senate shall be elected. For instance, Chapter 2 of the 9th Standing Orders of the Senate 2022 (as amended) stipulates the procedures for selection of Presiding Officers of the Senate.

    “Similarly, Section 50(1)a of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) states that, ‘there shall be a President and Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

    “Also, section 50(1)b stipulates that, ‘A Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

    “It is therefore clear that, the election of these Presiding Officers is purely an internal affair that concerns only members of the National Assembly and therefore, they should be allowed to decide who among them would occupy the positions in order to avoid repetition of the past mistakes – we may all recall the incidences of the 7th and 8th National Assembly.”

  • Speakership: Progressives Governors endorse Abbas, Kalu

    Speakership: Progressives Governors endorse Abbas, Kalu

    … supporting APC’s choice a wise decision, Imo Gov tells Members-Elect

     

    The chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, and executive Governor of Imo State, South East Nigeria, Senator Hope Uzodinma has said that the Forum has resolved to back the choice of the party for the Speakership and Deputy Speakership positions of the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu Esq..

    The Governor made the disclosure when he hosted the campaign team of the Abbas/Kalu joint ticket, led by the Joint Task –10th Assembly Coalition at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge on Monday evening in Asokoro Abuja.

    He said the party has made the best choice of presiding officers for the House and the least the Governors should do is to ensure that the party’s preference and vision is actualized come June 13th.

    The Governor commended members of the coalition who are drawn from the 8 political parties that won seats in the 10th House, saying they made the right decision to support the joint ticket.

    “I congratulate you once more for the success you achieve in the last election and to commend you for coming together to form an alliance towards the speakership race. You have taken a good decision to support these two gentlemen. What we are practicing today is democracy and APC is the ruling party and you have a responsibility now to help the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed, and we all know that the most sensitive arm of government is the legislature and if we make a mistake with it the other two arms will be affected.

    “If the parliament is right, the government will be right, and I want to urge you to reach out to those who are aggrieved to persuade them to see the reason to agree with us. When you have a situation such as this, you will tell others your party is the best and in this instance, APC is in the majority and we have to demonstrate maturity by forging a common front in unity.

    He urged aggrieved aspirants to close ranks with the party’s preferred candidates and work together to determine a purposeful legislature capable of promoting and projecting the overall interest of Nigerians, adding that Abbas’ choice by the party was not an imposition.

    “There’s no such thing as imposition, it’s for the benefits of all of us, and the synergy will help us to achieve more for our people back home. If you say that it means you’re willing and ready to disagree with the majority including the government. We know you have the power of appropriation, but when you appropriate, what about cashbacking?

    “You certainly don’t want to go home after four years and tell your people you couldn’t achieve anything because you were not co-operating with the executive for their benefit, but when you work in harmony, you will reap the benefits of the cooperation and your people back home will be the better for it,” the Governor admonished.

    Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, the Governor said himself and his colleagues have resolved to demonstrate maturity and work with the choice of the party, saying that the duo of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu represent the best in the present circumstance.

    He said the National Assembly is not about what zone produces a presiding officer, but about who’s capable of handling the dynamic of current socioeconomic situations the masses have found themselves in, and that the progressive governors forum is confident that Hon. Abbas and Kalu will deliver to Nigerians the kind of legislature that engenders economic rejuvenation of the masses, social infrastructure such as quality schools, healthcare and security using instrumentality of laws that they will pass.

    Earlier, the APC Speakership candidate and his Deputy, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, as well as the South East Zonal chairman of Joint Task – 10th Assembly, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji who is of the PDP commended the Governor for hosting the team and assuring them of the colleagues’ resolve to support the project.

    They reiterated their readiness to ensure a united 10th Assembly and work towards actualizing the programmes and policies of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration, bearing in mind the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

    Specifically, Hon Abbas expressed confidence in the ability of the Progressive Governors to ensure that the team as endorsed by the party is delivered come June 13th, adding that the hope of the common man rests on it as far as productive representation is concerned.

    The Deputy speakership candidate, Hon. Benjamin Kalu in his comment thanked Governor Uzodinma for throwing his weight behind the ticket, saying that he trusts in his love for the parliament, being a product of the legislature himself.

    Kalu explained that his candidature wasn’t an individual recognition, but a mandate of the entire South East, to be on the new team of leaders upon whom the task of providing positive change in the lives of Nigerians has been entrusted.

  • 10th NASS: Tinubu seeks opposition support for leadership picks, holds crucial meeting with lawmakers today

    10th NASS: Tinubu seeks opposition support for leadership picks, holds crucial meeting with lawmakers today

    President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to hold a meeting today with senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives from opposition parties.

    The meeting will take place at the State House in Abuja from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., according to an invitation for the meeting signed by the Permanent Secretary of the State House Tijanni Umar, on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President and outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila.

    Although the purpose and agenda of the meeting was not been explicitly stated in the invitation, it is speculated that the President is seeking to persuade opposition lawmakers to support his nominees for the leadership positions in both chambers.

    It is reported that President Tinubu is backing former governor of Akwa Ibom State Godswill Akpabio and the current senator for Kano North Barau Jibrin, for the positions of Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.

    Additionally, lawmakers Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna and Ben Kalu from Abia State have been endorsed by President Tinubu for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House, respectively.

    These endorsements by the President’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have faced criticism from some ranking APC lawmakers who are determined to contest the leadership positions.

    The meeting with opposition lawmakers-elect is seen as an effort by President Tinubu to secure the victory of his preferred candidates, especially since the APC does not have a comfortable majority in both chambers.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the APC holds 59 out of 109 seats in the Senate, while the remaining 50 seats are occupied by members from six other opposition parties.

    Similarly, in the 360-member lower chamber, the APC has 178 seats, while seven other parties hold the remaining 182 seats.

    This means that the APC does not have a simple majority to elect its member as Speaker, as the opposition lawmakers could vote against the APC’s candidate.

    However, it should be noted that the challengers to the APC-endorsed candidates are also members of the party, indicating a potential split in the votes of APC lawmakers if an election were held at this time.

    The tradition of the National Assembly dictates that the party with the majority seats produces the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader, and Chief Whip.

    It is believed that the division within the APC regarding the leadership positions may have prompted President Tinubu to convene this meeting, aiming to avoid a repeat of past scenarios where the elected leaders did not align with the preferences of the ruling party.

    Notable examples include Bukola Saraki emerging as Senate President in 2015 against the wish of the APC and Aminu Tambuwal being elected Speaker in 2011 against the choice of the then-ruling PDP.