‘Constitution does not stop me’ — Wase joins speakership race

Idris Wase, a member of the house of representatives, has declared his intention to run for the speaker of the 10th assembly.

Wase, who is the deputy speaker of the house, declared his speakership bid on Friday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Wase said the north-central deserves to produce the next speaker of the lower legislative chamber because it has not done so since 1999.

The deputy speaker said he is competent and has the legislative experience to lead the house of representatives. 

“What we need is a deliberate choice to poach for the right people with fervent patriotism, energy of the spirit, commitment, competence and focus, to lead the charge in our determined journey to national redemption,” he said.

“Indeed, the task before us is to overcome all the tribulations that threaten our heritage of honour, hard work, enterprise and development in the context of Nigeria’s leadership in Africa and her prime place in world affairs.

“Since the campaigns for the speakership of the house of representatives began, many of my colleagues have signified their intentions to seek the votes of members to be elected as speaker.

“This is a positive development in the dispensation of democratic governance. Honestly, I cannot single out any one of them that is not capable of leading the house.

“However, it must be noted that in the wisdom of party leadership and by the sheer authority of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, how top national offices shall be shared among the federating units in the country has been explicitly stated in section 14 sub-section 3 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic as amended.

“Flowing from this, therefore, the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria has strengthened my resolve to aspire to the speakership of the house of representatives as a Nigerian from the north-central geo-political zone of the country, to lend my vision, competencies, patriotism and loyalty to the nation’s constitution and my party’s ideals in the collective mission to build a prosperous nation founded on the pedestals of justice and equality.

“Fellow Nigerians, Nigeria is built on the supremacy of the law and the sacredness of the constitution for justice to reign and to keep the peace in the country.

“It is on the strength of this that I offer myself to contest and serve as the speaker of the house of representatives in the 10th assembly in clear deference to Nigerian constitutional provision and with your full support and understanding of Nigerians so that the journey we began together a long time ago can continue to prosper.

“As speaker, I hope to build a solid coalition of interests of national importance to achieve a common goal.

“While the primacy of national interest will be of utmost importance, I shall be guided by the six-point agenda of my party (APC) while also actively supporting most honestly the opposition parties as they strife to support legislations that seek to address the concerns of their constituents and other Nigerians in general. Our legislative agenda will always address other matters of interest.

“Generally speaking, my conduct will be motivated by an avowed commitment to national integration to build a society where justice reigns.

“We need to build on the successes recorded so far within the context of national laws and support Nigerian international commitments that seek to promote the national interest and welfare of all Nigerian citizens.”

Mukhtar Betara, Sada Soli, Mariam Onouha, and Yusuf Gagdi were among the speakership hopefuls that attended Wase’s declaration.

The APC had nominated Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as its preferred choice for speaker and deputy.