The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has congratulated the newly elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), who’s also the Speaker of the Tanzanian Parliament, Rt. Hon. Tulia Ackson.
Ackson was on Friday in Luanda, Angola, elected as the President of IPU, also becoming the 31st president of the international organisation of national parliaments. She beat three other candidates on the ballot: Ms Adji Diarra Mergane Kanouté of Senegal, Ms Catherine Gotani Hara of Malawi and Ms Marwa Abdibashir Hagi of Somalia, all women Members of parliament from Africa.
Ackson, who’s the first African woman to hold the position, takes over from Duarte Pacheco from Portugal, who was elected in 2020.
The Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker, in a congratulatory message by his Special Assistant on Press Affairs, Udora Orizu, on Friday, expressed optimism that Ackson’s leadership will bring about positive changes and foster unity and cooperation among parliamentary nations.
Elated on Ackson’s win, he recalled his pledge to her in July, during a courtesy visit to his office at the National Assembly in Abuja, by the East Africa Legislative Assembly, led by Hon. Joseph Ntakirutimana.
While congratulating other candidates, who contested for the position, Kalu urged them to support Ackson for the benefit of Africa, assuring that Nigeria’s Parliament will work with her to address global challenges, promote peace, and advance the interests of all nations.
The Deputy Speaker also hailed the President of the Nigerian Senate and Leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the 147th IPU general assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on being elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body.
Kalu said he’s delighted that Nigeria’s senate president made it to the executive committee of the IPU, breaking a jinx of 59 years.
He noted that he was at the fire front of this international politics once he observed Nigeria has been short changed for 59 years.
This, he said, also led him to move a motion to stop the move of another Western African country after the same position.
The Deputy Speaker said, “I congratulate the newly elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, the Speaker of the Tanzanian Parliament, Rt. Hon. Tulia Ackson. This is a significant achievement, and I am confident that your leadership will bring about positive changes and foster unity and cooperation among parliamentary nations. As you lead the political head of the IPU, we look forward to working closely with you from Nigeria’s Parliament to address global challenges, promote peace, and advance the interests of our nations.
“I commend three other candidates for the position, all women parliamentarians from Africa, a historic first, Adji Kanoute (Senegal), Catherine Hara (Malawi) and Marwa Hagi (Somalia). I also congratulate my leader the President of the Senate and Leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the 147th IPU general assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio on being elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body. This is a joyful news as the last time a Nigerian was elected into the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union was in 1964. It has been a week of international politicking and lobbying and am glad that finally Nigeria won and the voice of Nigeria will be louder in defending democracy in africa and the world. With this our great country now has the opportunity to influence key decisions of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) as well as present a case for better representation of the West African Community and Africa at large.”
