Hon. Olujonwo Obasanjo, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has endorsed the consensus candidates for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that he described their choice as the best and threw his weight behind Godswill Akpabio as Senate President and Abbas Tajudeen as Speaker.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Obasanjo appealed to all the elected members of the 10th National Assembly to support the party’s decision and rally around the consensus candidates for the good of democracy and the incoming administration.
While admitting the principle of separation of powers among the three arms of government, he argued that it was a fallacy that such separation is absolute.
He described the decision of the NWC as thoughtful, stressing that the consensus arrangement is for the good of the nation if they find ways of working harmoniously with the other arms of government.
Praising the choice of Akpabio as Senate President, Obasanjo said the former two-term Governor of Akwa Ibom has distinguished himself as a governor and Minister.
He also recalled his exploits as a Senator during the 8th National Assembly, stating that “when he became a Senator and as a minority leader, he stood against Saraki’s high-handedness as the Senate President to join the ruling party to add value and political strength in the Assembly.”
He added: “Senator Akpabio obtained APC’s presidential nomination form but on the night of the primary, he was the first aspirant to step down for the now president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Senator Akpabio has earned the respect and trust of the leadership of the party and the president-elect and all other stakeholders. Therefore, his nomination as the next president of the Senate is very welcome.”
While commenting on the Speakership, Obasanjo said: “Hon. Tajudeen Abass’s exceptional contribution to law-making alone is enough to secure him the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“This unassuming gentleman from the famous Zazzau royal family is a trailblazer in the aspect of lawmaking that he alone has sponsored 74 bills and 21 of them have been signed into law by the President.
“Hon Abass is so loved and trusted by his constituents that he has been returned to represent them for the third term in the House.
“Hon Abass’s constituency projects are well on the ground in every part of the constituency and of the 114 bills signed into law between 2019 and now, he single-handedly has 21 in a House of 360 members.”
“If we crave competence not only in the executive but the legislature too, Akpabio as President of the Senate and Abass as Speaker of the House of Representatives should be supported by the incoming lawmakers.”
Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had announced the consensus zoning arrangement and nominated preferred candidates for the leadership positions of the National Assembly on Monday.
In reaction, some aspirants in the two chambers have called for an immediate review of the arrangement. However, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has appealed for calm from the aggrieved lawmakers.
He promised that the NWC would look into the zoning arrangement after consultation with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he returns from his working tour of Europe.
