Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress(APC) from North East have called on the national leadership of the party to consider a repeat of the 2019 political offices zoning fomula in the party. According to them, in that zoning, the same zone, South West produced both the Vice President and the House of Representatives’ Speaker.
In this light, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriation Committee, Hon. Muktar Betara, from Borno State, has declared his interest to contest for the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th Assembly. In 2019, the North West produced the President; the South West, Vice President; the North East, Senate President; South West, Speaker; South South, Deputy Senate President and North Central, Deputy Speaker. The South West produced the number 2 and 4 citizens in the persons of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (Vice President) and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Speaker House of Representatives.) The North East APC stakeholders said since it was possible then, it was more possible in the present disposition. However, stakeholders of the APC from North West and North Central are demanding that the Speakership should come to their zones…… Continue Reading
In North West, Hon. Tajudeen Abass from Kaduna State and Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase from Plateau State (North Central) have joined the race. Hon. Betara, who represents the Biu/Bayo/Shani Federal Constituency of Borno State, North East, told journalists at the Borno State Government House that he is in the House of Representatives Leadership race. He is a ranking member elected first into the house in 2007. The North East zone, which has the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, argued that the South West Zone in 2019 produced the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the 9th House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. According to the Borno State APC Chairman and the Chairman of the APC Chairmen Forum, Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori, if it was possible then in 2019 to have the Vice President and the Speaker of House of Representatives in the same zone, it is still possible in the 10th Assembly.
Dalori posited that the candidate being projected for the 10th Assembly House of Representatives Speakership is Hon. Muktar Betara. But another party chieftain dismissed the argument of the North East Zone on the 9th Assembly Speakership. According to the Chieftain, who craved anonymity, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, was a child of circumstance as the party needed strong lawmakers as 9th Assembly leaders to help the President, Muhammdu Buhari stabilize governance, having suffered in the 8th Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogora. The APC chieftain said the party is well positioned now to distribute its leadership offices equitably. He said: “You see, it would be wrong for the North East to be making argument of Vice President Osinbajo and Speaker Gbajabiamila. The circumstances were quite different.
“In 2019, the party wanted legislators with good experience and influence to head the 9th Assembly and help Mr President consolidate on governance. That was the reason for Gbajabiamila emerging as the Speaker. The party does not have such circumstances now.” But for the members of the North East APC pushing for the Speakership of the House of Assembly, they said, “there is nothing wrong with the zone producing the Speaker of the House along with the Vice President-elect.” According to them, what matters is the contribution of the zone to the party and competence of the candidate. The National Leadership of the APC is yet to come up with a zoning pattern. The National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had recently warned the elected 10th Assembly members not to overheat the polity over agitation of principal offices. According to Adamu, at the appropriate time, the leadership of the party would carry out the zoning in manner that all zones would be accommodated. However, Hon. Betara responding to the question of if he was in the race, said: “Definitely. I am part of them. I will go for the speakership” Speaking on the meeting of the President and Vice President-elect, National Leadership of the APC and elected members of the APC National Assembly on the issue of zoning, he said: “Well, we are still looking at what is happening and the party leadership said they are going to do the zoning. So, we are waiting for the party to decide.” Betara, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, spoke at the Borno State Government House, where he led some of his colleagues to congratulate the Governor-elect, Governor Babagana Zulum, on his victory. Congratulating the Borno State on his victory, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba, who spoke on behalf of the Honourable members, said: “We, colleagues and friends of Hon. Betara, deemed it necessary and important to pay you this congratulatory visit. As you know, Muktra is a man of the people. When we decided to come down and when he decided to make his visit visible, we also collectively agreed to come along with him to congratulate you and to wish you well in the next dispensation of four years. “Your Excellency, your re-election did not come to us as a surprise. We were very, very sure and optimistic that the people of Borno State were definitely going to re-elect you due to your track records, your achievements and your success in the past four years. Responding, Zulum said: “Let me on behalf of the government and people of Borno State convey our appreciation to all of you for finding time to visit us at this very important time, purposely to congratulate us over the landslide victory that we had during the last elections.”…… Continue Reading
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