Doguwa, 5 others step down in battle for House of Reps' top seats

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ado Doguwa and five other aspirants have stepped down from the speaker and deputy speakership race.

The aspirants stopped down at a meeting of members-elect under the auspices of the '10th Joint Task' on Wednesday night in Abuja.

The speakership aspirants, Doguwa (APC-Kano), Rep. Abdulraheem Olaoye (APC-Ogun), and Rep. Makki Yalleman (APC-Jigawa state, stepped down for Rep. Tajudeen Abbas (APC-Kaduna)

Also, the deputy speakership aspirants, Rep. Abiola Makinde (APC-Ondo), Rep. Francis Waive (APC-Delta), and Rep. Julius Ihonberev (APC-Edo) stepped down for Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia)

It could be recalled that the All Progressive Congress (APC) has earlier endorsed Abbas and Kalu for the office of the speaker and deputy respectively.

The endorsement was further strengthened by the Minority Party Forum, a group of about 70 members-elect who announced their support for the duo.

Speaking on behalf of the speakership aspirant, Doguwa said that they had come to join the Abbas/Kalu campaign.

He said they all wanted to be the speaker but they can only have one speaker at every given moment saying that they will support the party's choice.

"I want to say on behalf of these great men around me here, that we have individually and collectively decided to surrender our bid to become speaker this time around.

"We have resolved to support our great party and the man they have chosen to be speaker Rep. Tajudeen Abbas," he said.

Speaking on behalf of the deputy speaker aspirants, Ihonberev said that there is a time when strategies and tactics needed to be adjusted to support a democratic process that would work.

He said that all three of them wanted to be deputy speaker, believing that it will be zoned in their favour but it turned out differently.

"As loyal party persons, we decided to align with those that have been identified by the party.

"We want to say we are absolutely, undilutedly in support of the ticket as announced by the party that Rep. Tajudeen Abbas will be our next speaker and Rep. Benjamin Kalu will be the next deputy speaker.

"We want to assure you that we are prepared to do all it takes to ensure the success of this project," he said.

However, the deputy speaker, Ahmed Wase, Chairman Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Muktar Betara, Chairman Committee on Water Resources, Rep. Sada Soli, Rep. Mariam Onouha and Rep. Yusuf Gagdi are still in the race.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on May 9, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC zoned the senate presidency of the forthcoming 10th National Assembly to the South-South and the speakership of the House of Representatives to the North-West.

The party also zoned the deputy senate presidency to the North-West, and deputy speakership to the South-East.

Specifically, the party settled for Senators Godswill Akpabio/Barau Jubrin for Senate leadership and Abass/Kalu for House of Representatives leadership.