Some newly elected House of Representatives members of the opposition parties have distanced themselves from the purported zoning of the All Progressives Congress(APC) for the position of House Speaker.
The lawmakers-elect, under the aegis of The Patriotic Forum, also denied meeting to endorse any aspirant, adding that any attempt to induce, intimidate or coerce them will fail.
This made known in a communique issued on Monday following a recent meeting by the group.
It noted that no newly-elected member of the opposition parties is included in the phantom 283 members as claimed by one Southsouth lawmaker as supporting or aligning with zoning consideration, which is an internal arrangement of the APC.
The group said it deliberately held back on its choice to have an-inclusive position on who will be Speaker at the 10th Assembly as the rules prescribes. It added that there was no place for zoning that is binding on newly elected members of the House.
It said the interest of the nation comes first and as such all through four years lawmaker-elect would not be ‘antagonists’ to anyone or party.
It said: “Forum feels It is regrettable that anyone will be elected on the platform of an opposition party, and the very first representative duty, that could make or mar the 4 years tenure, which is that of electing a Speaker will be ceded to one factor of the preference of the party that produced the government at the centre.
“Forum deliberately held back on our choice, so as to have an-inclusive position about and on who will be “our” Speaker at the 10th Assembly House of Representatives as the rules prescribes. In that prescription, there is no place for a factor called zoning that is binding on all newly elected members of the House.
“While the incoming members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) can align and queue behind their “zoning factor”, our duty and obligation, that, Nigerians expect of us is to be responsible in our judgment as dependable opposition, which leaves us with no choice than to say that even if we will eventually settle for a member from APC as the Speaker, we must profile such a person for capacity, character, national outlook, competence, tolerance and ability to run an inclusive house, not one in the pocket of a few against the majority of Nigerians.
“It is the leadership of the House of Representatives of Nigerian people not a political party chairman.
“The intention of the forum is not to imperil our future as representatives of our people just by electing a Speaker just to appease the “gods of zoning” in APC. Doing such will be a travesty against our constituents and the people. It will be turning us into “a herd of cows” that can be whipped into line and that will mean the 10th Assembly, House of Representatives will be sealed with a fait accompli stamp.
” We wish to state clearly, so as to remind those who have forgotten a part of our nations legislative history that berthed the idea of the house project at the 7th Assembly, which is simply to put Nigeria first, followed by the institution and members last. We align with this generic purpose as subscribed to way back in 2011.
“Forum wishes to remind members that at the 7th Assembly, the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) under the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, working with Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari and others agreed and supported the then Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of the People’s Democratic Party to win against the zoning of the PDP to have Hon. Mulikat Akande as the preferred candidate.
“We are aware that a Southsouth Governor solely believes that everyone can be purchased like a commodity, but this time, a new generation of the forthright politicians are emerging whose lives are not ruled by filthy lucre, and we are the ones.
” Forum states that we have been elected by Nigerians from our various constituencies to represent them at the House of Representatives, they saw the party APC and her candidates on the ballot, when they opted to vote for us, and we cannot arrogate sole representative powers to ourselves, in disregard of our journey to this point because in four quick years, majority of us will be back to face them and account for the use of the mandate carefully and consciously invested in our hands.
“We may be newly-elected members, but we are not oblivious of our legislative history that commends to us a fidelity with the Nigerian people, neither are we a bunch of immature “school boys” rather men and women who know what is right and willing to do them regardless of the intimidation.”