Speakership: Opposition reps divided as splinter group backs APC’s Abbas

A splinter group of the minority caucuses in the house of representatives has declared support for Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu.

Abbas and Kalu are the anointed candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of speaker and deputy for the 10th assembly.

The group — Minority Parties Forum — announced its decision to back the APC’s preferred choice in a communique issued on Monday night after a meeting in Abuja.

The caucuses had earlier insisted on nominating a candidate to challenge the APC in the speakership race.

“That in furtherance of our resolve to play a leading role in the formation of the leadership of the 10th assembly and as a result of our diligent interactions with all aspirants for the position of the speaker and deputy speaker of the house of representatives, we hereby resolve to support the duo of Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, respectively as a speaker and deputy speaker of the house of representatives,” the communique reads.

“That we have found in the two persons of Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, a leadership that will allow for fairness and equity as well as provide an equal platform for all political parties represented in parliament to have a say in the running of the legislature and expression of alternate views on issues of public interest.

“That in the next few days we will be meeting in a larger caucus of the minority parties to discuss and formalise the adoption of the speaker and deputy speaker designates of the 10th assembly of the house of representatives.”

The communique was signed by Idu Igariwey, a PDP member; and Kabiru Rurum.

DIVISION IN OPPOSITION PARTIES

While the Minority Parties Forum’s meeting was ongoing, the other group — Greater Majority — held a sitdown at another venue.

The meetings took place simultaneously with both groups claiming to have membership across all the minority parties —  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Young Progressive Party (YPP).

However, members of the Greater Majority did not name a candidate they intend to support for the speakership position.

TheCable had reported that the group had set up a 13-member committee to nominate a candidate to challenge the APC during the June 13 speakership election.

At the end of the meeting, Victor Afam, secretary of the committee, said the panel could not pick a candidate because no member showed interest.

He said despite not having a candidate yet, the group is united.

“The committee called on members of the minority caucus who are interested in the speakership or deputy speaker position to step forward,” he said.

“I wish to report on behalf of the chairman of that committee and the entire members, as at the end of the period given to undertake that assignment, no member of the minority caucus, better known as the greater majority, stepped forward to contest for the role of presiding officers.

“Deductively, this means that we are not bidding for those two positions. However, we remain united as one caucus of the opposition parties.

“We did also meet with those aspiring for the position of speaker of the house of representatives, but because we’ve not briefed our members, I will not go into details of our interface.”

Having failed to nominate a candidate, the Greater Majority is expected to endorse one of the speakership hopefuls from the APC.

The speakership aspirants in the APC are Idris Wase (Plateau), Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau), Sada Soli (Katsina), Muktar Betara (Borno), Abubakar Makki (Jigawa), Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara), Ado Doguwa (Kano), and Miriam Onuoha (Imo).