By Douglas Blessing
A group, Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA), has said that House of Representatives under Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu will experience greater stability.
National Coordinator of the pressure group, Bright Ngolo made this ascertain yesterday, while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ngolo who noted that the Nigerian-styled democracy needs to strike a balance between legislative activism and achieving results in the overall interest of a largely under-developed populace and economy, said their interest is to project Nigeria with priority for setting a legislative framework that will banish poverty.
According to the group coordinator, a project a leadership which builds on transparency, accountability, trust and intelligence. “We can not talk about the leadership of the most important arm of the National Assembly, which aggregates the totality of our diversities as a people, without talking about getting a leadership that will prioritize the needs of the long suffering and marginalized people whether they are found in the Niger Delta or Benue or Kafanchan or Kaura Namode”.
Noting the diversities in interests and the aspirations of other candidates for the Speakership of the House of Representatives, Ngolo stressed “but we cannot fall for cheap, pedestrian and jaundiced theories on the arguments of zoning of positions. These emotional arguments have indeed succeeded in eroding the key argument of the capacity and competence of these aspirants”.
The group said Tajudeen Abbas, member representing Zaria federal constituency in the House of Representatives is qualified to serve as Speaker of the House, adding that he has never been lazy ever since he joined the House of Representatives, as he ranks as one of the most useful contributors with a total of 73 Bills in the outgoing Assembly.
Speaker further Ngolo said “The NDRA is minded therefore to throw our weight behind someone who brings what we call generational balance in the current leadership equation of the country and also an intellectually brilliant fellow, a holder of Doctor of Philosophy degree in Business Administration and Management.
“We hereby renew our call on members-elect across divides to aggregate their support and queue behind an Abbas/Kalu leadership. We note that given the time frame left for the House to be inaugurated, alot more consultations have been made amongst stakeholders and the Legislative Agenda of Abbas/Kalu, two amongst the brightest members of the 9th House who by the grace of God and the electorates have found themselves re-elected by their people
“It would be natural for us as a pressure group to appeal for the support of all members to ensure their emergence on the 13th of June 2023. On the other hand, we appeal to the National Working Committee of the APC not to renege on consulting all aspirants to ensure that the right thing is done to build iron-cast consensus and ensuring the emergence of pan-Nigerian candidate as leader of the 10th Assembly.
“We also want to state that Nigerians have suffered from excuses of poor leadership as a result of ethnic, religious or other primordial sentiments. We warn that those we agitate for today must not turn themselves into agents of oppression and suppression or promoters of anti-people policies, as the NDRA shall not hesitate to rally Nigerians against unpopular decisions of any arm of government.
“We do believe that the mandate of Speaking for all Nigerians should rest on the shoulders of Tajudeen Abbas. Having contributed immensely to the growth of the democratic process with the sponsorship of 73 bills in the 9th Assembly alone, combining it another 43 bills to his credit during his time at the 8th Assembly, we believe that the task of building bridges will be effortless across several interests to stabilize the leadership of the 10th House of Representatives and by extension, the nation.
“We reason that it would cost us more as a nation if we keep sacrificing our best brains on the altar of primordial sentiments such as zoning or religion. On the altar of merit, Hon Abbas stands tall and is qualified to lead the Green Chamber of the National Assembly”.
