Speakership: Wase, Doguwa vow to push interest despite APC’s choice of others

Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Idris Wase and the House leader, Rt. Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa have vowed to push their ambition to become the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, despite the All Progressives Congress, APC’s pick of Hon. Tajudeen Abass from Kaduna and Benjamin Kalu from Abia respectively.

Speaking separately while reacting to his official position of HR party zoning Speaker to the North East and Deputy to the South East, they promise to ensure independence of the legislature.

Wase is the incumbent Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps while Ado-Doguwa is the Leader of the House, both belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.

Wase faulted the outcome of the APCs National Working Committee, where Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu were picked.

He urged the House members to reject the outcome as Tajudeen Abass was known to them.

The lawmaker from Plateau State vowed that members will stop anyone from highjacking the legislative hiuae, even as they would ensure independence of the parliament.

“We should work as a team; we will not allow this parliament to be hijacked or made a lame duck. I believe we are loyal to our country and our people first before loyalty to our party.

“When you say you have a consensus candidate, the language for consensus is that there have been mass consultations, people go to the table for discussion, there is agreement.

“In this case, we are hearing that some people have been made consensus candidates. I don’t know whether that is the meaning of consensus,” said Wase.

“This place (NASS) is very sacred. We must be honourable in our action in defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

On his part, Ado-Doguwa said the parliament must always be allowed to choose its leaders, adding that it is not for outsiders to decide, who lead the legislature.

“One message I want to send across is that the parliament is one institution that must always be allowed to choose its own leaders.

“The business of our leadership should be solely our business and no other person’s business.

“In a situation where you have some people in whatsoever guise trying to decide our leadership, to form our leadership from outside without consulting us I think that should be seen as a mere failure.

He however declared that: “I remain available for consultation until that is done, everyone will answer his father’s name.”

The party had on May 8 narrowed the choice of speaker to Rep. Abbas, APC-Kaduna, and the Deputy Speaker to Rep. Benjamin Kalu, APC-Abia.