The choice of former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress (APC) official candidate for the position of Senate President in the 10th National Assembly is for the purpose of faith balancing and in Nigeria’s best interest, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima said yesterday.

Shettima said the nation and the party could not afford a situation where the first four citizens belong to the same faith.

The Vice President elect spoke as returning members of the party in the House of Representatives rally in support of the APC choice of the pair of Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House.

Receiving members of the Joint Task 10th Assembly, a multi-partisan forum for Members-elect of the 10th House of Representatives and the main campaign machinery of Abass in Abuja yesterday, Shettima said the APC should not be seen to be lending credence to insinuations of an agenda to Islamise the country.

Nigeria’s stability, he stressed, was more paramount than any political consideration.

He addressed Abbas as “by God’s grace our Speaker in waiting” and Kalu, “our Deputy Speaker in waiting.”

He said the APC would continue to reach out to those aggrieved by the party’s recent anointing of candidates for the positions of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, House of Reps Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

He said: “I will take it upon myself to reach out to the other contenders. Rt Hon Betara is my brother. We are from the same sub-region; we are from the same state and I have the best relationship with him. I met him two nights ago. I will sustain that.

“Around 1pm today (Friday), I met with Rt. Hon. Ahmed Wase, the Deputy Speaker. We will continue with the engagements so we can have a rancor-free assembly.”

He also advocated a harmonious relationship between the incoming executive and the legislative arm, saying:”When Obasanjo lost grip of the National Assembly, his first tenure of was a failure. President Buhari could do little in his first term because of rancorous relationship between the executive and the legislature.

“What was accomplished in the last four years was because of the harmonious relationship between the executive and legislature.

“President Goodluck Jonathan lost grip of the National Assembly when Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal emerged as the Speaker and that rancorous relationship culminated in his defeat in 2015 general election. Mariam Onuoha is my friend. I will reach out to her.

“What we are trying to avoid is a situation whereby the number one citizen, number two citizen, the number three citizen, the number four citizen are all of the same faith. That will validate the negative narrative of Islamization of Nigeria.

“That is why my principal, a fair minded individual, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu insisted the number three citizen must come from the South/South (Christian). The stability of the nation is more important than any other consideration. We are talking about inclusivity.”

He advised Abass and Kalu to carry other political parties along in the appointment of committee chairmen if they emerged Presiding Officers of the House.

Abass expressed gratitude to the president-elect and the Vice President-elect for their support and pledged that under their leadership, there would be a harmonious relationship between the two sides for the progress of the country.

Also speaking, Kalu thanked the APC, Tinubu and Shetimma for rewarding the South/East despite the abysmal performance of the party in the zone during the last election.

His words: ”In your magnanimity you decided to show that cohesion was necessary for nation building. But this time, irrespective of the votes that come from the South East, you considered cohesion and gave us deputy speaker, we are grateful.

“Here we have over 153 members, some of whom are outside, who are in support of the decision that the party has taken, because this is the decision that will give every part of the nation a sense of belonging.”

Ranking APC members united behind party choices – Sources

Party sources told our reporter yesterday that returning members of APC in the House of Representatives are strongly united in their support for Abass and Kalu ahead of the June inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

It was gathered that the ranking legislators are prepared to use their experiences in partisan politics and National Assembly matters to guide the new members-elect in the discharge of their duties as party-men and lawmakers.

Speaking on speculations that aspirants dissatisfied with the zoning arrangement of the party are winning many members-elect to their sides, a three term legislator from the southern part of the country said the situation was not as bad as people were portraying it.

He expressed confidence Abass and Kalu would emerge as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th House of Representatives.

The source said: “The party’s decision was taken after serious considerations. I want to tell you that no matter the choice they make, some people will complain. That is expected.

“But for anyone to say the candidates put forward by our party will not win, forget it.

“I can assure you that based on the realities on ground as at today, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abass from Kaduna and Benjamin Kalu from Abia will emerge as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th House of Representatives.

“This is because those of us who are returning members are solidly united in our support for the choices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker made by the party ahead of the June inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

“We have asked questions and we are satisfied with the explanations we got. I speak of APC ranking members as a caucus. Yes, we have a few people disagreeing, but please, show me the members following them. Apart from the aspirants, which APC member-elect is with them? That is how you will understand what I am saying.

“We are politicians and we know our duties to our party. We have been meeting the new members elect and we are doing the needful.

“The party has also, through the necessary induction programmes, done more than enough to prepare the new lawmakers for what they will face in times like this and it is helping them to know where to stand on inauguration day. There is no way they will go against the party. The incumbent Speaker has also shown the seed of party loyalty into them. Just wait and see the end of these matters.”

It is my turn to be Speaker, Wase declares

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Ahmed Idris Wase, who is pressing ahead with his ambition to succeed Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker, said yesterday that his time has come.

“In a nutshell, I would tell this congregation and Nigerians that I would use my words and the words of my leader, emi lo kan, emi lo kan, emi lo kan.” he said at his formal declaration for the race.

The event was attended by his fellow aspirants to the same position including Hon Mukhtar Betara; Hon Aminu Jaji, Hon Sada Soli, Hon Princess Mariam Onouha and Yusuf Gagdi. The House leader, Hon Alhassan Ado-Doguwa was however absent at the event.

They are all opposed to the APC official candidate, Tajudeen Abass.

Wase said the large number of aspirants for the position of Speaker was a “positive development in the dispensation of democratic governance.”

He described every one of them as capable of leading the House.

He said he wanted to be Speaker because the North Central where he comes from is the only geo-political zone “that has not produced the Speaker in 24 years after the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999.”

Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon Muktar Betara Aliyu, said there was no problem with having a consensus candidate but it must be done with the agreement of everyone.

He said the six aspirants were eventually going to agree to support one person for the position.

“It is only one person God will choose to be the Speaker of the 10th Assembly. I assure all my colleagues and members-elect and former colleagues, we are not going to have any issues. We are going to agree to support one of us as Speaker,” he said.

Nothing will stop Betara – Campaign DG

Director General of the Betara Campaign Organisation, Dickson Tarkighir, told The Nation in Abuja that nothing would stop the Borno State born Rep from contesting the Speakership because he has the number to win.

“We are going ahead with the contest because we have the number and that is what matters in the National Assembly,” Tarkighir said.

Asked if the aggrieved candidates were considering the consensus option, he said: “If ever the idea of consensus comes up, I can assure you that Betara will be the one at the top of the ticket.

“Everybody knows that he has the number and the acceptability across party line. So, if the coalition wants to win or defeat anybody the other side will put up, they will put Betara up.” (The Nation)

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