The Labour Party caucus for the incoming House of Representatives and Spokesman of the minority caucus otherwise called “Greater Majority”, has explained the reason for its adoption of Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, both of whom were endorsed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for Speaker and deputy speaker of the 10th House, respectively.
The leader of the Labour Party caucus, and member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the 10th Assembly, Hon Afam Ogene, made the disclosure in a chat with our correspondent in Onitsha.
Recall that the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi is presently at the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal, PEPT, challenging the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner of the Presidential Election held earlier this year.
While it appears to many that the House of Reps caucus of the Labour Party has caved in to the new government under President Tinubu, Ogene said nothing of such sort has happened.
He said instead, what is at play, is the full unravelling of what a democratic process should be, aspiration, fierce contestation, consensus building, and ultimately, the free expression of choice, which is at the core of any democratic process.
“In the instant scenario, several persons put themselves forward with a desire to superintendent over their colleagues as Presiding Officers and what followed was fierce struggle by each and every contestant to reach the ultimate goal.
“This state of affairs was later to trigger attempts at consensus building, leading to an expected expression of individual choices, when Members-Elect converge on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 to elect its leaders,” he said.
On the initial plans by the minority caucuses towards presenting one of its own as Speakership candidate, the lawmaker acknowledged that although the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria unambiguously directed, in Section 50(1)(b) that “Members of the House of Representatives shall elect a Speaker and deputy Speaker from among themselves,” most members of the Greater Majority, simply decided to adorn the toga of statesmen and women, by deciding not to put forward candidates for the Speaker and deputy Speaker positions.
He quipped “This stance, I envisage, was taken to prevent the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC from having a ready-made excuse in the event of the administration not leaving up to expectations.
“So, essentially, it wasn’t a case of abandoning an opportunity to present a Speaker, but rather a patriotic decision, by the Greater Majority, to allow the incoming Government take off on a smooth sail.
“Beyond mere endorsement, I think that the emergence of both men as leaders of the emergent 10th Assembly of the House of Representatives is already a fait accompli. Why? In spite of the wave of condemnations that attended their ‘adoption’, they remained focussed, and kept their eyes on the ball.
“In fact, I can say, with every emphasis at my disposal, that both men ran the most pragmatic campaigns, in terms of engagement with Members-Elect.
“They were neither laid-back nor sat in any comfort zone as anointed candidates.
“Besides the Rt.Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, whose aspiration attracted the most support from both returning and new members because of his own parsonage, the duo of T.J Abass and Benjamin Kalu, eventually earned their own stripes.
“Let me reiterate, I had earlier explained the raison d’etre for the opposition to their candidature in the early days of their adoption by the APC.
“But rather than relax and bask in the euphoria of the adoption, they rather stepped up consultations amongst Members-Elect, showcasing in the process what the famed novelist, Chinua Achebe, described as “solid personal achievements.”
“For an Abass, who in one legislative cycle of four years, sponsored a total of 74 Bills – 22 of which received Presidential assent – and Kalu, with over 40 Bills, both men, I dare say, appear to have fulfilled the conditions precedent for their emergence as Speaker and deputy Speaker.”
