Majority Leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa has withdrawn from the race to lead the 10^th House of Representatives.

Doguwa, who is one of the aggrieved seven candidates for the Speakership position, said he would back support the All Progressives Congress(APC) anointed candidate, Tajudeen Abbas with Benjamin Kalu as Deputy.

Speaking at a meeting of the Joint Task, 10^th Assembly, Doguwa also announced that two other candidates, Abdulhareem Olawuyi (APC, Kwara) and Abubakar Makki Yalleman (APC, Jigawa) were also withdrawing from the contest.

Doguwa said Abbas is qualified and has the legislative experience to lead the 359 members of the House.

He said he withdrew from the race to support the party’s choice because he is a beneficiary of the zoning arrangement.

“Don’t imagine that my appearance here is by accident. For those of you who are thinking you’re daydreaming, you’re not daydreaming. This is reality.

“It is not like the table is turning against me. No. The truth is that the time has come for me to pay back and I think that paying back in this circumstances is a great responsibility that I must honour and oblige.

“I rise today in the presence of my boss, Right Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, and I am flanked by Hon. Abdulraheem Olawuyi and Abubakar Makki Yalleman.

“Together collectively abd individually, we are stepping into the shoes of this great campaign because at every given time, there can be only one Speaker.

“On this basis, we have all come individually and collectively to surrender our bid to be Speaker this time around to our great party, the APC and defer to our gentleman that was picked by the party to run for the Speakership.

Doguwa was initially part of the G-7 a group of seven speakership aspirants — who have vowed that the speaker from the 10^th assembly would be elected from among them. (The Nation)

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