By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
As penetrations and permutations deepen for the leadership of the incoming 8th Anambra State House of Assembly, Ejike Okechukwu, a re-elected lawmaker has stressed that the Speaker would be determined by the party with the absolute majority, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Okechukwu, who is representing Anaocha 2 state constituency in the outgoing 7th legislature, opined that out of the 30 seats in the 8th assembly, APGA secured 16 seats while other political parties shared 14 seats amongst themselves.
He therefore added that the outcome of the state assembly election in Anambra, puts APGA at a vantage position to decide the leadership of the House of Assembly in the next dispensation.
The House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Education told our correspondent exclusively that he was qualified to be the next Speaker but it was not in his powers to determine instead it is ultimately the exclusive preserve of the All Progressives Grand Alliance to choose amongst its returning members who rightly fit to preside over the affairs of the 8th legislature.
He said, “The issue of the Speakership of the House of Assembly is either in God’s hands or in the hands of the party that produced the majority members in the House.
“If you look at the constitution of the next House of Assembly, you see that APGA has 16 members which gives them absolute majority and other political parties have 14 members. So it now behoves on APGA as a political party to look within the 16 members and see who and who are competent enough to pilot the affairs of the House in the 8th assembly and advise members-elect on that.”
Although the lawmaker noted that members elect principal officers by themselves, he was equally cognisant of the fact that the party with the majority must always have one or two advice for their members, which he said was the reason for party politics. That if he eventually becomes the Speaker having won his re-election on the platform of APGA, then to God be the glory.
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