Speakership Battle: Nasarawa Reps backs Betara, ask APC to rescind decision on consensus

By Christiana Ekpa

Rep. Abubakar Nalaraba (APC-Nasarawa) has thrown his weight behind the aspiration of Rep. Aliyu Betara (APC-Borno) one of the Frontline aspirants for the 10th National Assembly Speaker.
Nalaraba, said this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday against the backdrop of the consensus candidate of the APC for Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
He said the 10th National Assembly needed a leader that would stabilise the House with deep knowledge of the working of the green chamber.
He said Betara, a fifth term lawmaker from Borno pissed the requirements, adding that he helped the current Speaker, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila to stabilise the house.
According to him, this is the first time a the Speaker of the House will govern without any threat of impeachment, this is courtesy of Betara.
He said, Betara out of his desired to make the House peaceful, coopted 100 additional members to his 38 member Committee on Appropriation.
He further said this made the total number 138, adding that this alone demonstrated good sign of leadership and this was what made everybody to be committed to the leadership of the house.
“Some members who were not in any Committees were coopted to the Appropriation committee and they all got some project inclusion in the appropriation to their constituencies and they were happy with him, “ he said.
He described Betara as a man of the people with a listening ear, gentle and kind, adding that the single act of Betara in the 9th assembly brought relative peace.
“You can’t pin point a single member that has grudges with Betara, even his enemies knows that he is a good man and we need such to be the speaker of the 10th Assembly.
He condmned the endorsement of Rep. Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Benjamin Kalu as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker for the 10th Assembly by the APC.
He said the endorsement was done without consulting other aspirants and without taking into cognisance the politics of national assembly, which he said differed from the politics of Nigeria.
“You cannot throw up a candidate at the detriment of other candidates, the APC told the aspirants during our retreat at the villa to continue their consultations.
“And while this was going on the party said a particular candidate has been chosen as consensus,” he said.
He said their preferred candidate was unknown and had never integrated smoothly with members, while urging the party to review its decision and allowed members-elect to choose freely.