By Henry Umoru
ABUJA— AFTER several hectic days of horse trading and nocturnal meetings, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Governors elected on the party’s platform have finally agreed on the voting process to get the Speaker, House of Representatives, just as they have anointed consensus candidates.

As the seventh National Assembly will be inaugurated today, the House of Representatives will again have a female Speaker, Mulikat Adeola-Akande, PDP, Oyo, after Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh had once occupied it.

Also adopted at the end of late Saturday night meeting  were Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, even as it was gathered yesterday that Aminu Tambuwal has been settled with the position of House leader while Emeka Ihedioha will retain his position as Chief Whip.

It was also  gathered that the two-day retreat for all elected PDP Governors and members of the National Assembly became the locale for the party leaders to engage in wide consultation with the governors and lawmakers over the candidates vying for the plum positions in the National Assembly.

At the meeting, a source said that there was no problem with the choice of David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu for the Senate President and Deputy because of what they described as their record during the sixth national assembly, adding that it was storming when it was time to discuss and choose who becomes the Speaker of the House of Representatives because of the stiff competition for the position even though the PDP had zoned the position to the South West region.

The final push to have a consensus ticket on Saturday night as gathered came after the PDP governors from the North East, North Central, South South and South East zones who are fully involved in the quest to ensure the party’s zoning arrangement was implemented, endorsed the Akande/Dogara ticket for the House of Representatives.

With this arrangement, the candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Hon. Muraina Ajibola was finally kicked out of the race, just as PDP leaders are said to be comfortable with the wide acceptability of Dogara across party line as that would help  stabilize the leadership of the House after their possible election today.

At the scheming period when the governors held meetings with the members, it was gathered that Governor Magawatta Wamako of Sokoto state, who was sitting on the fence, had no choice than to accept the decision of the party after a late night meeting with Vice President, Namadi Sambo.

It will be recalled that both the governor, the Vice President and Aminu Tambuwal, one of the contenders before the last move of the party are all from the North West zone

Present at the meeting were the Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, Senate President, David Mark; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; former Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih and former national chairman of PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, among others.

Immediately after the meeting, its outcome  was said to have been promptly transmitted to President Goodluck Jonathan.