…Abbas begs party’s leadership to convene, dialogue with contestants

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, has warned the party’s anointed Speaker House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, to stop parading himself as elected Speaker.

Adamu handed the warning when Tajudeen led a delegation of over 50 Members-elect across party divides, on a thank you visit on the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Tuesday.

The ruling party had taken exception to the various members-elect describing Abbas as Speaker, insisting that the laws guiding the office of Speakership are very clear, and he can only earn it on the day of proclamation by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the 10th National Assembly.

Responding during the NWC meeting with the delegation, Adamu however encouraged him to continue doing his good work and prepare for the election.

“I want to make one correction so that we will not be misrepresented. A quite number of you have referred to Hon. Abbas at the Speaker. Please, please he is one of the aspirants. He will become a Speaker on the day of proclamation… the laws guiding that office are very clear, he will earned that on the day of proclamation by the president and commander in chief of the 10th National Assembly.

“The Clerk to the National Assembly will conduct election there is no option than the election. When he comes out of that election and they raised his hand and when he is sworn in by the Speaker, that nomenclature becomes most appropriate. Wait. Continue doing your good work.

“After reporting to the NWC the discussions we had with the President-elect and leaders like the Vice President-elect, the Senate President, the Speaker; my humble self, the National Chairman of the party, my deputy North, deputy South and the National Secretary of the party, I reported our deliberations.

“It was clear in our declaration that there is need for further and better consultations…so that we can take as much as we can to massage political egos so that we end up with what we want with National Assembly leadership in both chambers.

“We have received all the other aspirants for the President of the Senate and the Speakership of the House of Representatives. I on behalf of my colleagues wish you the best of luck,” he quipped.

Earlier, Abbas had commended the NWC for endorsing them and assured that they will do everything humanly possible to protect the interest of the party, to protect the interest of the government and to protect the interest of the Nigerian populace.

He pleaded passionately with the party’s leadership to convene a meeting of the aspirants to deliberate on how to front the candidates to ensure victory for the party.

His words: “We are here to commend the role you (NWC) played in the emergence of myself as my colleague as candidates of the party for the June 13th election of the leadership of the House of Representatives. We want to thank you and we want to impress on you that you have chosen the right people.

“We will do everything humanly possible to protect the interest of the party, to protect the interest of the government and to protect the interest of the Nigerian populace. You can take it to the market Mr. Chairman that we are together,” he said.

Commenting further, Abbas said: “I want to use this opportunity Mr. Chairman to complete one item in your resume, you have conqueror parliamentary, several times; you were a party man several times; you were in the executive several times; you have delivered the President-elect of our party. This time around what is only outstanding to complete your resume is to deliver the leadership of the National Assembly in June 13.

“I want to urge you, Mr. Chairman and members of the NWC that you have done one leg of your job that is the endorsement of the people that will represent the party in the next dispensation, the next is to come all out, to support, to encourage, to convince every member who has a vote to come and vote for your candidate come June 13.

“Finally, Mr. Chairman, I also want to urge you as our leader – the leader of all the contestants both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, as your children, to use the position God has given you and all the members of NWC to do whatever you can to call all our co-contestants to the table.

“We are more than willing to sit down and agree on mutual basis what we need to do to move the National Assembly forward. We want your leadership to be in the driving seat, we will cooperate, we will do everything humanly possible to make sure that we will operate as one from June 13,” he appealed.