The Abbas/Kalu joint House of Representatives ticket of the 10th National Assembly has been boosted with over 260 members-elect.
This was revealed by Hon. Benjamin Kalu, at a media parley with newsmen in Abuja.
Kalu emerged the party’s choice along with Tajudeen Abbas who was anointed as the APC-nominee for the speaker.
Speaking on their chances amid protest by other contenders for the top job, Kalu, who presently chairs the House Committee on Media, said he was hopeful that the party’s choices would sail through at inauguration.
The lawmaker had also featured on Channels Television a couple of days ago where he said, the choice of the Southeast for the position was justified despite the low votes the APC got during the presidential poll.
Asked how much support they were getting from the members-elect, Kalu said: “This is democracy and all the people who have shown interest to contest are all well qualified to run for this position. All we can do is when the party has pointed to the direction it has pointed, many will be aggrieved.
“What you do is not to ignore them, you don’t take it for granted that the party has anointed you and it is an easy sell. No. What we are doing is deliberately taking steps toward making the members buy into the party’s position, also to look at what has been presented, and what are the agitations by the people.
“We have over 260 (members) across the various political parties. The Great Majority Group has been weakened because after the pronouncements, many of the members of the Greater majorities have seen reasons to align with the ruling party’s position and I can assure you in these coming days, you begin to see the trickle effects of negotiations that we are doing.
“Also, aspirants who are agitating that they are shortchanged are beginning to feel the impact that we’re reaching out to more people and we’re bringing more people to our fold. We have only about five that are remaining. We are reaching more people, and it is not by force. As regards your question about the North Central, I think my party has a plan to accommodate the region.”
Asked why the Southeast should be given the slot despite the party’s poor showing, he said the decision was arrived at for effective planning towards the 2027 election year.
He said: It can’t be cannot be called injustice. That analysis is a weak argument because we’re talking about what is beyond the election. We’re talking about nation-building. When you talk about nation-building, you should forget about sentiments and emotions.
“You look at the strongest argument and the strongest argument you have is how do we make diversity-sensitive leadership, and nation-building efforts that will incorporate the beautiful coloration of all the diverse parts of the country coming together to work for what we preach, we say the unity, peace, and progress.
“And for that to be achieved, every part of this nation, you may recall that in the last four years, the Southeast was not holding any presiding officers’ position. And it has impacted this election, among other things, and I can assure you if you neglect Southeast again wholesomely in holding such a sensitive position, then you will battle again in 2027, and this is a big risk for any great planner to take.
“Because, if you start now to plan and adopt this spirit of inclusion, Southeast is going to yield a better harvest than what was yielded before. So, I know he (Tinubu) is a great planner. I know that the party is filled with strategists that sat down to consider so many factors and said for my region, Southeast, we need to get back into the fold. We need to be harvested from there. And if we’re going to achieve that, a sense of belonging must be given to them.”
“You have forgotten vital issues in considering forming a government that will work for the country. There are certain things you consider beyond the parliament. And even within the parliament, you should be conscious of the unique nature.
“Nigeria is a secular state. You all know that we have a president-elect as a Muslim, and the vice president-elect as a Muslim at the moment. And you know that if we have in the House a Muslim speaker and you a North-central as a deputy speaker, who definitely might be a Muslim, it is not going to show the beautiful picture of a secular state. So, while you consider all the factors, other higher factors must be factored into the decision-making mechanisms,” Kalu further argued.
