From Paul Orude, Bauchi
A chieftain of the All progressives Congress (APC), Sabo Mohammed, has appealed to party faithful vying for leadership positions for the 10th National Assembly to put personal interests aside for national and party unity.
Mohammed , who made the call in an interview with journalists in Bauchi on Thursday, called on contesters to throw their weight behind the choice of the President-Elect, Senator Godswill Apkabio/Jibril Barau for President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate Respectively.
He said they should also rally round and support the party’s choice of Honourable Tajudeen Abbas and Honourable Benjamim Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives for the unity and progress of the country and the APC.
“I appreciate and commend the leadership of the party, the President-Elect and the Progressive Governors forum for deciding to zone certain principal offices to respective zones,” he said.
“It is a realization of the need to involve or to achieve inclusive government and I think my candid position is that we should as a matter of sacrifice respect the decision of the party, respect the decision of the president elect and the decision of the progressive governors forum and work towards the ticket of Akpabio and Barau in the 10th NASS as well Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamim Kalu in the lower chamber.
“This would help in promoting party discipline as well as upholding party supremacy and this is the best way to go in trying to regain the hitherto lost glory of the party”
He believed that the choice of Akpabio and Barau is like a sealed deal.
“Akpabio has been governor for eight years, he was in the senate for about 12 years and has been minister or about five years.
“He is one of the movers and shakers of the south-south and somebody who has been described by his colleagues as a garrison politician whose political relationship cuts across party lines -PDP and the APC – and has supported the bid of the President elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the extent that he was the first person to withdraw from the race in the interest of peaceful resolution of the presidential primaries and then to pave the way for the success of the party in the just concluded presidential election”
Mohammed described Senator Jibrin Barau as a well-polished politician with pedigree.
“Jibrin, otherwise called Malia is a well-polished grassroots politician who exerts followership in Kano and the North West politics.
“Their own is a close deal”
“The politician called for support for the choice of Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu the ticket he termed termed national stability, equity and inclusive parliament.
He urged the likes of Ahmed Wase , Betara, Muktar , Soji and others in the race for Speakership to step down for Tajudeen.
“They should prioritize national interest, they should prioritize party interest and above all sacrifice their personal ambition for national inclusiveness.,” he said.
“If you look at Tajudeen, his credentials in parliamentary speaks volume. He is eminently qualified to occupy the position of Speakership more than any other politician in the history of Nigeria.
“In the eight Assembly he sponsored 48 motions and bills, the highest by an individual parliamentarian. “In the 9th Assembly , Tajudeen presented over 70 bills and motions out of which 20 have seen the light of Presidential accent . This is unprecedented. That is why his colleagues call him first ranking legislator and he has been in the National Assembly since 2011. Combine his private life working experience and education to Phd level and a team player I think Tajudeen will go a long way in raising bar in the National Assembly.
“That is why there is a wisdom in his selection by the President elect camp and the governors Forum because he is well qualified to be the speaker of the House of representatives.
“For Benjamin Kalu, he is a household name in in the National Assembly. He is eloquent, erudite and a team player.”
The APC stalwart believed even the opposition are supporting the Tajudeen and Benjamin ticket.
He therefore commended the decision of Honourable Ado Doguwa to withdraw from the race and support Tajudeen’s nomination.
“It will go a long way in solidifying the unity of the country and the unity of the party as well as the issue of inclusiveness,” he said.
“That is why some of us are urging Wase and Betara who are still pursuing their ambition to have a rethink and support them”