Minority members-elect move to produce 10th House Speaker

Members-elect under opposition parties are gearing up for the Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June.

This followed the outcome of last Saturday’s supplementary elections which saw the membership of the minority caucus rising to 182, which is one vote more than the statutory benchmark (181 votes) required to elect a Speaker — with prospects of gaining more members.

Already, there are permutations to promote a Speakership candidate from the South-South geo-political zone, and a Deputy Speaker from the North West, Daily Trust Saturday reports.

Rising from an emergency meeting of the Minority caucus leadership held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the caucus which now refers to itself as “Greater Majority,” and made up of seven political parties, stated that it was primed to contest the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.

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Speaking with journalists on the position of the caucus, a member-elect from Anambra, Victor Afam Ogene, said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria imbues every elected member with the statutory right to go for any leadership position, subject to the standing orders of the House.

“Besides the issue of ranking, every member is entitled to run for the office of Speaker, regardless of political party affiliation.

“The All Progressives Congress APC, or indeed, any political party for that matter, reserves the right to regale itself with talks about micro-zoning leadership positions in the National Assembly. But the overriding question remains, are such fanciful engagements binding on the generality of members-elect? The answer today, tomorrow — and until our current constitution is altered to reflect that desire — is a big no.

“Issues surrounding this all-important question is easily resolved, in the case of the House of Representatives, by Section 50(1)(b), to wit:” There shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves,” he said.