Kashim Shettima, vice-president-elect, has implored
lawmakers-elect to accept the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) for the leadership of the 10th national assembly.
Shettima spoke during a meeting some of the house of
representatives members-elect on Friday.
Earlier this week, controversy ensued within APC after the
party nominated Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and
Abbas Tajudeen, a house of representatives member from Kaduna, for the national
assembly leadership positions.
While Akpabio was nominated for president of the senate,
Tajudeen was endorsed for the speaker of the house of representatives.
The party also nominated Barau Jibrin, senator representing
Kano north, as deputy senate president, and Benjamin Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia
and current house spokesperson, as deputy speaker.
The nominations have been faulted by lawmakers within and
outside the party and several attempts to mitigate the rift have proven futile
so far.
Speaking during the meeting with lawmakers-elect, Shettima
said APC seeks to avoid a situation where all the top officials of the incoming
administration would be of the same faith.
He said the circumstance could “validate the negative
narrative of the Islamisation agenda of Nigeria”.
Shettima added that the leadership of the forthcoming
national assembly must be inclusive because the “stability of the nation is
much more important than any other consideration”.
“What we are trying to avoid is a situation whereby the
number one citizen, number two citizen, the number three citizen, and the
number four citizen are all of the same faith. That will lend credence, and
validate the negative narrative of the Islamisation agenda of Nigeria,” the
vice-president-elect said.
‘This is why my principal, a fair-minded leader, Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed Tinubu is more inclined towards having the number three citizen from
the South/south or the south-east. Even in the current circumstance that we
find ourselves in, the stability of the nation is much more important than any
other consideration.
“All other
considerations have to be relegated to the background because we are talking
about the stability of the nation.
“We are talking about inclusivity, we are talking about
togetherness because nation-building is a continuous work in progress and
politics is about perception, it is about optics. I am quite glad that Benjamin
Kalu will emerge as the deputy speaker. The hope for the black man rests with
the people of this country.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
If I remember one song of late Fela which ....animal wear agbada.., u came in tru same faith, never thought Islamization narrative it may fuel but against same faith in assembly leadership. Hypocrites.
ReplyDelete