The chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, and executive Governor of Imo State, South East Nigeria, Senator Hope Uzodinma has said that the Forum has resolved to back the choice of the party for the Speakership and Deputy Speakership positions of the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudern Abbas, and Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
The Governor made the disclosure when he hosted the campaign team of the Abbas/Kalu joint ticket, led by the Joint Task –10th Assembly Coalition at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge on Monday evening in Asokoro Abuja.
He said the party has made the best choice of presiding officers for the House, and the least the Governors should do is to ensure that the party’s preference and vision is actualized come June 13th.
The Governor commended members of the coalition who are drawn from the 8 political parties that won seats in the 10th House, saying they made the right decision to support the joint ticket.
“I congratulate you once more for the success you achieve in the last election and to commend you for coming together to form an alliance towards the speakership race. You have taken a good decision to support these two gentlemen. What we are practicing today is democracy and APC is the ruling party and you have a responsibility now to help the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed, and we all know that the most sensitive arm of government is the legislature and if we make a mistake with it the other two arms will be affected.
“If the parliament is right, the government will be right, and I want to urge you to reach out to those who are aggrieved to persuade them to see the reason to agree with us. When you have a situation such as this, you will tell others your party is the best and in this instance, APC is in the majority and we have to demonstrate maturity by forging a common front in unity.
He urged aggrieved aspirants to close ranks with the party’s preferred candidates and work together to determine a purposeful legislature capable of promoting and projecting the overall interest of Nigerians, adding that Abbas’ choice by the party was not an imposition.
“There’s no such thing as imposition, it’s for the benefits of all of us, and the synergy will help us to achieve more for our people back home. If you say that it means you’re willing and ready to disagree with the majority including the government. We know you have the power of appropriation, but when you appropriate, what about cashbacking?
“You certainly don’t want to go home after four years and tell your people you couldn’t achieve anything because you were not co-operating with the executive for their benefit, but when you work in harmony, you will reap the benefits of the cooperation and your people back home will be the better for it,” the Governor admonished.
Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, the Governor said himself and his colleagues have resolved to demonstrate maturity and work with the choice of the party, saying that the duo of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu represent the best in the present circumstance.
He said the National Assembly is not about what zone produces a presiding officer, but about who’s capable of handling the dynamic of current socioeconomic situations the masses have found themselves in, and that the progressive governors forum is confident that Hon. Abbas and Kalu will deliver to Nigerians the kind of legislature that engenders economic rejuvenation of the masses, social infrastructure such as quality schools, healthcare and security using instrumentality of laws that they will pass.
Earlier, the APC Speakership candidate and his Deputy, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and Hon. Benjamin Kalu, as well as the South East Zonal chairman of Joint Task – 10th Assembly, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji who is of the PDP commended the Governor for hosting the team and assuring them of the colleagues’ resolve to support the project.
They reiterated their readiness to ensure a united 10th Assembly and work towards actualizing the programmes and policies of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration, bearing in mind the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
Specifically, Hon Abbas expressed confidence in the ability of the Progressive Governors to ensure that the team as endorsed by the party is delivered come June 13th, adding that the hope of the common man rests on it as far as productive representation is concerned.
The Deputy speakership candidate, Hon. Benjamin Kalu in his comment thanked Governor Uzodinma for throwing his weight behind the ticket, saying that he trusts in his love for the parliament, being a product of the legislature himself.
Kalu explained that his candidature wasn’t an individual recognition, but a mandate of the entire South East, to be on the new team of leaders upon whom the task of providing positive change in the lives of Nigerians has been entrusted.
