The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives comprising 182 Members-elect from seven opposition parties have resolved to topple the ongoing plans by All Progressives Congress (APC) to dominate leadership positions of the 10th Assembly.
According to the feelers from its meeting held in Abuja, the Members-elect resolved to sponsor a South-South lawmaker and North West for the positions of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
A statement issued by the Caucus’ Spokesman, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, explained that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers every Member-elect to vie for any position, subject to the Standing Orders of the House.
Hon. Ogene: “Besides the issue of ranking, every member is entitled to run for the office of Speaker, regardless of political party affiliation.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC, or indeed, any political party for that matter, reserves the right to regale itself with talks about micro-zoning leadership positions in the National Assembly. But the overriding question remains, are such fanciful engagements binding of the generality of Members-Elect? The answer today, tomorrow – and until our current constitution is altered to reflect that desire – is a big No.
“Issues surrounding this all-important question is easily resolved, in the case of the House of Representatives, by Section 50(1)(b), to wit:” There shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.
“While zoning is permitted, as an intra-party solution to the sharing of political offices, seeking to enforce such on the generality of members would be tantamount to affronting Section 50 of the Nigerian constitution.
“Besides, political parties must not always use the National Assembly as guinea pigs for their zoning fancies. Why didn’t these governors summon the same courage, which they currently seek to flaunt, during the presidential primaries, by micro-zoning the presidency to a particular zone?
“If it was okay to say that the presidential ticket should go to the South, then I think they ought to follow through with that same template, and propose, for instance, that the Speakership should go to the North,” he said.
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