Buni Backs Wase for 10th Assembly’s House Speakership

•Betara vows to run even if position not zoned to North East

•Ndume joins race for senate presidency, unfolds 10-point agenda

•Opposition lawmakers form alliance to counter APC

Deji Elumoye, Sunday Aborisade and Juliet Akoje in Abuja

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, yesterday, threw his weight behind the ambition of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, to run for Speaker ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June, this year.

This is as another aspirant for the speakership position, Hon Muktar Betara, has vowed to fight on even if the position was not zoned to his north east geo-political region.

At the same time, a former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has expressed his readiness to contest the Senate Presidency seat in the 10th National Assembly.

In a related development, some opposition parties’ members-elect in the House of Representatives, Tuesday night, met ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, with a view to forming an alliance against the position of the ruling party at the June inauguration of the legislature.

However, Buni, a former acting national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who spoke while receiving Wase and his campaign team in Abuja, said, “We in the APC and indeed the House of Representatives need you more than you need us because there is no better time for us in the party to pay you back for your loyalty than now.

“Experience is not studied in the university; it evolves from institutional participation and entrenched ideas, which you already have. For us, we know you will work based on experience because you are prepared more than any other.

“You didn’t need to come, I will work for you because to whom much is given, much is expected. You listened to us and stepped down when I was National Secretary even before the President. He knew about it and it is now time for us to reciprocate that your gesture; someone must step down down for you this time around,” the Yobe governor said.

But Betara, in a statement by his campaign group, Betara National Patriotic Mandate, said he was aware of “deft moves” by some influential leaders in the APC to zone the North-East out of the speakership race.

The statement signed by the national coordinator of the group, Mallam Maigari Al- Amin stated, “We are watching the events that are going on and we can see that some influential leaders are making deft moves to zone the Northeast out the Speakership race and hereby say that our principal, Betara, Insha Allah shall become the Speaker because nobody can cow us and even convince us to stop this project. We shall fight on and win whether the party zones to North east or not.

Meanwhile, Ndume, who hinted at his aspiration in a statement, said his ambition would be determined by the fairness of the zoning arrangements that would be put in place by the APC leadership.

“Subject to the position of the party (APC), and the fairness of such arrangements, I intend to throw my hat in the race for Senate Presidency because of my experience,” he said

The Borno South Senator, who contested the seat with the incumbent President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan in 2019, wondered why the APC was insisting on a zoning arrangements for the National Assembly positions, when it didn’t do the same during the presidential primaries.

He said, “The APC leadership did not take any position during the presidential primary election. Aspirants from all the geopolitical zones participated in the exercise. Senators should be allowed to choose a competent person among them that has adequate legislative and managerial experiences to lead the Senate.

“Zoning may not lead to the emergence of the best person for the job that is why the decision to choose the Senate presiding officers must be the sole responsibility of the senators,” he said and pledged to put Nigeria and her interest first if elected, saying the issue of political inclusion and power devolution would be paramount in his Agenda.

On their part, the opposition members, whose meeting, had lawmakers from the six minority political parties in attendance, was aimed at forming an alliance ahead of the inauguration of the 10th assembly.

A ranking lawmaker, Hon. Fred Agbedi, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the meeting was to enable the lawmakers-elect network, interact and familiarise before their inauguration.

Agbedi said the minority caucuses had the highest number of elected lawmakers in the 10th assembly, giving them greater strength to deepen opposition politics and democracy.

Also, a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, stated that the opposition lawmakers must work “very closely” to protect their interest.

“We understand that for us to be able to put through our collective interest, for us to be able to protect our ideals as minority parties that fundamentally serve as a check to the ruling party, and to be able to contribute to nation building, we must come together,” Jibrin stressed.

He hinted the opposition lawmakers that, “Whoever calls them for a meeting and tells you anything is not telling you the honest truth. If we do not put ourselves together, we will not be able to marshal through our interests”

On her part, Hon. Beni Lar, another ranking member, said the minority caucuses can achieve a “common goal” if united.

“All of us put together are now the majority and a greater majority. This is something that many parliaments around the world seek to achieve but cannot achieve. I believe that with our numbers, strength and with our doggedness, we can achieve our common goal and purpose,” she said.

The meeting subsequently moved to a private session after remarks by the representatives of some parties.