Reps-elect To Conduct Debate For Speakership Aspirants

Some elected members of the 8th House of Representatives under the aegis of ‘The Patriots’ announced on Thursday that they would conduct a public debate for the various candidates vying for the House Speakership. Addressing a press conference in Abuja, convener of ‘The Patriots’ Musa Sarkin Ada (Sokoto/APC) said they would conduct integrity test among the various contenders for the speaker’s seat in order to have the best out of them. He said the group would look at competence, confidence, integrity, knowledge, experience, track-records, versatility, reliability, networking among others. He said their group would focus on “quality of candidates as opposed to business-as-usual,”
saying they do not have any candidate in mind “because we do not want to place the cart before the horse. “We are more interested in setting the parameters, principles, vision, mission, quality and commitment of those who aspire to lead us, as opposed to supporting individuals in return for sharing spoils of office. “For the above to happen, The Patriots intends to conduct and integrity test for interested candidates wishing to contest leadership positions of the House by way of open, televised debate that shall provide an opportunity to scrutinize their credentials,” he said. Asked if they would stick to the All Progressives Congress (APC) zoning arrangement for key positions of the National Assembly if the party finally decides, Sarkin Ada said it was imperative for the APC to go with the mood of the House, considering how speakers had emerged in the past. He said the group, which consists of members-elect from across different political parties, would only be concerned about credibility and urged the APC to respect their wishes in the end. Six APC federal lawmakers from five geo-political zones of the country are jostling for the position of Speaker, House of Representatives in the incoming eighth Assembly. Recall that the current speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has opted out of the legislature and has been declared governor-elect of his home state, Sokoto. The six federal lawmakers vying for the house speakership position are: Abdulmumin Jibrin from Kano (North West), Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi (North East), Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos (South West), Mohammed Monguno from Borno (North East), Pally Iriase from Edo State (South South) and Israel Ajibola Famurewa from Osun State (South West).
Source: Leadership