Our Coalition will determine the next Reps Speaker, says Betara

By Christiana Ekpa

One of the leading aspirants for Speaker of the House of Representatives, Muktar Betara Aliyu has said his group holds the ace on who emerges as the next Speaker of the lower legislative chamber.
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony of the Speakership bid by a member of the coalition, Ahmed Wase, he expressed optimism that their group would arrive at a consensus on who is best suited to preside over the proceedings of the House.
Betara, a fifth term member who chairs the House committee on Appropriation describes Wase as a brother and a comrade who is equally qualified to preside over the House.
Reiterating his opposition to the move to impose a Speaker on the House of Representatives, he noted: “For us, we formed this group because we are opposed to the zoning arrangement of the party. We are not fighting and we would not fight. We are in support of a consensus candidate.
“We can pick the candidate from among ourselves but if we all sit down and decide on it. I assure all of you it is only one person that God would choose to be Speaker. I assure you we are not going to have any issue. We are going to agree to support one of us as the Speaker.”
For Sada Soli, there is need for fairness, inclusivity and respect for diversity in arriving at the choice of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Katsina born lawmaker called on members elect to strive to protect the sanctity and freedom of the institution of the legislature.
“Anything short of that, the consequences would be dire. We must drop all personal interest geared towards producing a Speaker who would not take directive for some personal aggrandisement, a Speaker who would tell you as it is. Lawmaking is a very serious business. It is beyond personal interests.”
Gagdi, who spoke in the same vein, warned against a rubber stamp National Assembly that would take directive from forces outside the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly.
“We are determined to protect democracy. The House of Representatives is the House of the Nigerian people. By the time we are working, no leadership of the party will be there. Only we and we would be doing the serious business of lawmaking.”
Miriam Onuoha, one of the members of the coalition, reiterated her opposition to injustice in the polity, while calling for inclusivity of women and other vulnerable groups that form over half the population of the country.
“I stand with the coalition, indivisibility of Nigeria. Legislature is independent. Member elect would rise up to the challenge to ensure the independence of the legislature,” she added.
Wase said it behooves on the leadership of the party to cede the seat to him, having served the interest of the APC, the parliament and the nation over the years.