It’s My Turn To Be Speaker – Wase Insists

• Rejects zoning arrangement by Tinubu, APC

BY VICTOR BUORO – In open defiance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s decision to zone the Speakership position to the North-west in league with the President-elect, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, has officially indicated interest to lead the Green chamber in the 10th National Assembly (NASS)

Adopting the now popular Yoruba phrase “emi lokan,” which translates as “it is my turn”, Wase said he stands qualified to serve as the Speaker given his wealth of experience and vantage position as the current Deputy Speaker.

The Plateau State born lawmaker is among the aggrieved lawmakers, who have formed the Coalition of Progressive Speakership Aspirants (COPSA), in their bid to become the next Speaker.

Wase, who spoke during his official declaration on Friday at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, told the gathering; “At this point, I will use the words of my leader, emi lokan, emi lokan, emi lokan”.

Though referring to Mr Tinubu as his leader, he not only  rejected the President-elect’s endorsement of the zoning formula but also kick against the choice of a particular aspirant to the office.

Making a strong case for his aspiration, the lawmaker, currently representing Wase Federal Constituency,  said on several occasions, he had “sacrificed” for the National Assembly and the country by dropping his leadership ambitions.

For him, it imperative that the ruling party abides by the Nigerian constitution in ensuring the North-Central is not excluded from the distribution of offices, though the constitution does not state how such offices should be allocated.

“It must also be noted that it is only the North-Central in the entire country that has not produced the Speaker in 24 years after the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999.

“Fellow Nigerians, Nigeria is built on the supremacy of the law and the sacredness of the constitution for justice to reign and to keep the peace in the country”, he said.

The APC lawmaker, while urging Nigerians to shun ethnic and religious bigotry, said it important for all citizens to unite and work together for the betterment of the country.

Other leading APC lawmakers opposed to the party’s zoning arrangement include House Leader Alhassan Doguwa, Muktar Betara, Sada Soli and Aminu Wali.

The Expression of Interest (EoI) event was attended by his supporters and some members of the ruling party, APC), the lawmaker urged Nigerians to unite and work together for the betterment of the country.

In its zoning arrangement for the 10th Assembly presiding officers, APC excluded the North-Central geo-political zone, claiming that the decision was taken in consultations with the President-elect ahead of the May 29, 2023 inauguration.

Having gotten the highest number of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives, APC has zoned the positions of Speaker and Deputy Senate President to the North-west, while the Senate President and Deputy Speaker have been zoned to South-South and South-East respectively.