Kehinde Akintola
Contrary to the initial plans to resume legislative activities tomorrow, the House of Representatives has extended its resumption by one week.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria announced this via a notice sent to all the members.
“This is to inform all Honourable Members and the general public that the House of Representatives will resume plenary on Tuesday 21st March 2023 at 11:00 am as against the 14th of March earlier announced.
“This change is intended to allow Members to partake in the rescheduled Gubernatorial elections.
“All inconveniences are highly regretted.”
The Governorship election which was initially scheduled for Saturday, 11th March 2023 was postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by one week, to enable the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.
Meanwhile, as National Assembly members-elect await the announcement on the zoning of the Body of Principal Officers for the 10th House of Representatives today, an Abuja-based social affairs analyst, Mrs Cham Faliya Sharon has called on the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to support the aspiration of incumbent Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase to emerge.
Mrs Sharon who gave the charge via a statement made available to Parliamentary Correspondents in Abuja, noted that the APC should as a matter of reward for loyalty and faith in its ideologies, zone the position to the North Central, and support Hon. Idris Wase as it preferred choice for the Speakership seat.
The social commentator who applauded the party’s exploits at the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections noted that “an overwhelming majority of Nigerians have kept faith with the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) by handing the party continuity in the Presidency and a comfortable majority in both Chambers of the National Assembly.
“For any honest observer, as well as any good student of Nigeria’s developmental history, the party’s triumph at the polls is well-earned because the party’s achievements in office, especially in the provision of infrastructure and growth of local productivity, are unprecedented. And these achievements are the result of the progressive collaboration and support given to the Executive branch by the leadership and members of the National Assembly who are majors of the APC.
“With the party set to commence another journey of leading the country into another phase of development, and considering also that certain key national leadership offices will be zoned to respective geopolitical zones, it becomes imperative to call on the national leadership of the APC to, as a matter of principle and honour, zone the position of the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th Assembly to the North Central geopolitical zone, and if it does that, it should also kindly throw its weight behind Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, the current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, to become the next Speaker.
“Zoning the Office of Speaker to the North Central region and supporting Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase to occupy the office should be considered an exercise of recognition and reward for loyalty and sacrifice. Since the 2015 general elections to date, a significant section of the North Central region has maintained unalloyed support for the APC, and it will be just and noble to appreciate this support and loyalty by ceding this important national office to them so that the party can expand and maintain its hold in the region,” Sharon noted.
She said having enjoyed the reward for performance and steadfastness from Nigerians at the polls, the APC should replicate the same by rewarding Hon. Wase for his loyalty, dedication and legislative dexterity and competence in co-running the affairs of the House for the benefit of the party, the House and Nigeria at large.
“As a member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase has consistently shown that he is a perfect example of what loyalty and respect for the APC ought to be. Always toes the party’s line on all matters, and has demonstrated his panache for excellent congressional leadership by the way he adroitly deputized the Speakership of the current House of Representatives under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, it is therefore easy to fathom that he can resolutely lead the next House to help the party achieve more wins for the Nigerian people.
“His loyalty and subscription to party supremacy came to the fore in 2019 during the contest for the Speakership of the House when, despite having secured overwhelming support from a majority of members to elect him as Speaker, he toed the party’s line by stepping down for Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila after the party decided that the position has been ceded to the Southwest.
“He marshalled the caucus to honour the party’s decision in the interest of peace, unity and progress of the party, and since then, he has remained committed to whatever will promote the party’s progress and stability. This is an act of nobility and sacrifice worth remembering and equally worth rewarding by the party.
“As a social commentator and a fervent consumer of national and international news, I have studiously observed that Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase lives a noble public life. Not even once has he ever been mentioned in any public or private scandal, and various accounts from my interactions with some of his colleagues in the National Assembly, including even congressional staff, suggest that he is an easy-going person, a team player and an efficient go-getter,” she noted.
In a related development, the Chairman of, the House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi has joined the race for the position of the Speaker of the 10th session of the House of Representatives.
Hon. Gagdi, a member representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State was the former Speaker of, the Plateau State House of Assembly for eight years before winning the election into the 9th Assembly.
Some of the previous offices held by Hon. Gagdi are Legislative Aide to Deputy Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly between 2003 and 2006; Member of Plateau State Library Board 2012- 2014; Chairman of Federal Board, LBRBDA Makurdi 2012 – 2014; Chairman of Special Committee on peace, security and reconciliation Plateau State 2015; Chairman Special Committee on Peace, Security and Reconciliation Plateau State 2018; as well as Financial Secretary of PDP Plateau State 2012 – 2014.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
