Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has said the Progressive Governors’ Forum has resolved to back the choice of the All Progressives Congress Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the coming 10th House of Representatives, Tajudern Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, respectively.
Uzodinma made this known in Abuja on Monday when he hosted the campaign team of the Abbas/Kalu joint ticket led by the Joint Task –10th Assembly, a coalition of members-elect in the APC and opposition parties, at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge.
This is according to a statement issued by the campaign office after the meeting, titled ‘Speakership: Progressives Governors Endorse Abbas, Kalu.’
The governor stated that the APC had made the best choice of presiding officers for the House, adding that the least governors should do is to ensure that the party’s preference and vision are actualised on June 13 when the 10th National Assembly is billed for inauguration.
Uzodinma, 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.
He said, “I congratulate you once more for the success you achieved 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 practising today is democracy and the 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 the government is the Legislature and if we make a mistake with it, the other two arms would be affected.
“If the parliament is right, the government will be right. 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.”
Uzodinma also stated, “There is no such thing as imposition, it is for the benefit 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 cash-backing? You certainly don’t want to go home after four years and tell your people you couldn’t achieve anything because you were not cooperating 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.”
Earlier, Abbas expressed confidence in the ability of the PGF to ensure that the team, as endorsed by the party, was delivered on June 13.
Kalu also thanked 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.
The National Working Committee of the APC had on May 8, 2023, released the zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, picking Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom/South-South) President of the Senate; Jibrin Barau (Kano/North-West) for Deputy President of the Senate; Tajudeen Abbas (Kaduna/North-West) for Speaker; and Benjamin Kalu (Abia/South-East) for Deputy Speaker.
Several aspirants for leadership positions in the Senate and the House have, however, kicked against the APC leadership zoning plan, vowing to go ahead and contest against the party’s chosen candidates.
The APC candidates and their aggrieved opponents are banking on the votes of the newly-elected members who are far more than the returning members and members-elect in the opposition parties who collectively have more numbers than the ruling party.
