say plot by principal officer to impose Speaker’ll fail

By  John Alechenu, Abuja

The National Consceonce Movement has urged outgoing principal officers to allow House of Representatives members-elect freely choose the next set of leaders.

President of the the civil society group, Ibrahim Gidado, said this in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Gidado who was flanked by the group’s  Vice President, Olarewaju Nurudeen and National Secretary, Obinna Kalu, said the call became necessary in the light of what he described as a sinister plot by a principal officer to foist a Speaker on the 10th House of Representatives.

The group said, “The obnoxious trend of public office holders attempting to install successors  in their stead, than allow unfettered established rules take precedent, in the choosing of a replacement, has become a very sad norm in the nation’s polity.

“Whether their preferred choice has the requisite capacity and competence to hold down such offices for the overall benefit of the nation and people, is inconsequential to them.

“The trend is unbecoming and must be checkmated. All they desire is a stooge to take instructions and report to them prevailing developments in the office they are vacating, and as well coverup murky dealings while in office.

“In this 4th Republic, past presidents, state governors and other public office holders, have consciously tried to impose their minions as successors, without recourse to the robustness and competence of the individual and his acceptance by colleagues and the citizens.”

He further said, “The 2023  elections had come and gone, winners are presently squaring off subterraneanly to occupy offices at both the National and State Assemblies.

“Though the 10th National Assembly has not been inaugurated, there are, however,  feverish underground contentions to install House Officers before the game even begins.

“As it is, nine elected members of the Federal House of Representatives, are on the gallery hoisting their flags of interest to occupy the House Speaker’s seat.

“And, this is despite the party with the majority of elected members, the APC, not presenting its zoning template for distributing the House offices, yet”

Those  who have so far indicated interest in vying for the position of Speaker include: the current Deputy Speaker,  Ahmed Idris Wase, Plateau State, North Central;  Aliyu Muktar Betara, Borno State, North East; the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado – Dongwa Kano State, North West; Yusuf Gagdi, Plateau State,  North Central; Olaide Akinremi, Oyo State,  South West.

Others include:  Benjamin Kalu, Abia State,  South East;  Tajudeen Abbas, Kaduna State,  North West;  Abubakar Yalleman, Jigawa State,  North Central and Abdulraheem Olawuyi, Kwara State,  North Central.

All those who have shown interest are old members of the House, they currently hold various principal offices and  commitee positions in the House.

There are strong indications that a prominent outgoing Principal Officer is desperate to impose his preferred candidate, Tajudeen Abbas, Kaduna State,  North West, who is the present  Chairman, House Committee on Land Transportation.

The officer in question is said to be in the habit of dropping the name of the President- Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to muscle his way through difficult situations.

The group urged the principal officer (names withheld) to “allow the House to decide who becomes speaker, his meddling is a barrier to strengthening democratic  paradigms.

“ It is needless. He is not bigger than the House. He should not be permitted to set this self aggrandizing precedent.

“It must be shot down and frustrated by the House members. How can he arrogantly say he is only comfortable with Tajudeen Abbas? Does the House belong to him?

“Is it now that he realised that the Vice President and Speaker cannot come from the same state?

The permeating culture of imposition of successors must not be tolerated in the Green Chamber.