One of the leading contenders for the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Betara, has taken his campaign to Saudi Arabia where he consulted with state caucuses and other stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress who are on lesser Hajj (pilgrimage) in the Islamic country.
According to a statement issued by his office on Tuesday, Betara, during the consultation, assured all members-elect of the House across party lines of his resolve to carry everybody along if elected Speaker.
In the statement titled ‘Speakership Race: Betara Intensifies Consultation in Saudi Arabia,’ the lawmaker was said to have met with returning and newly elected National Assembly members from Adamawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa and Bauchi states, among others.
Betara, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, was said to have met the members-elect at his apartment in Mecca on Monday evening.
The statement partly read, “The House appropriation committee chairman, who is currently in the Holy Land to perform the lesser Hajj (Umrah) ahead of the completion of the Ramadan fast, is using the opportunity to meet and consult members-elect to advance his campaign.
“Some of the members-elect who attended the meeting pledged unflinching support for Hon. Betara, applauded his leadership quality and support provided over the years to his contemporaries, irrespective of religious, ethnic and party affiliation.
“One of the lawmakers who spoke after the meeting said, ‘We are here on solidarity support for our Leader and esteemed Colleague for heeding to the clarion call to provide quality leadership. We are all aware of the significant roles played by Rt. Honourable Muktar Aliyu Betara in the emergence of successive Speakers and principal officers in the current and successive Assemblies. Most of us are also aware of his resolve to shelve his ambitions of becoming the Speaker in the previous Assemblies and as a loyal party man, aligned with the party’s zoning arrangement. For those in the know of how things panned out in the outgoing Assembly, I can tell you for free that Honourable Betara played a significant role in averting serious crises all through, which helped in stabilising this Assembly. But as human beings, we are not too surprised about what is playing out now. As you can see, so many of them forget so soon.’
The statement further quoted the unnamed member-elect asking that the lawmakers should be allowed to exercise their franchise as provided by the Standing Rules of the House and relevant Sections of the 1999 Constitution.
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The unnamed member-elect was said to have also noted that the pro-Betara team and caucuses had “all it takes to rally required support for Honourable Betara and of the assurance that whatever plays out will be in his favour, Insha Allah, during the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.”
The statement further read, “The lawmakers, who are expected to be sworn in, in June 2023, acknowledged the high sense of humility demonstrated by Hon. Betara, whom they described as an achiever, bridge-builder, unifying factor, team player, detribalised leader of uncommon virtues and role model. They maintained that Hon. Betara remains the most popular aspirant in the speakership race, given his generous disposition and responsiveness to members’ welfare, hence the resolve of making the returning and newly elected to support his ambition.”
Aspirants for the Office of the Speaker in the 10th Assembly, some of whom have yet to officially declare their ambitions, are now over 10. They are seeking to succeed the incumbent Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who has also been reelected for a sixth term.
The contenders include the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase; embattled Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Aliyu Betara; Chairman, House Committee on Science Research Institutes, Olaide Akinremi; Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Makki Yalleman; and Sani Jaji.
Wase and Gagdi are from Plateau in the North-Central geopolitical zone; Ado-Doguwa, Kano, North-West; Betara, Borno, North-East; Akinremi, Oyo, South-West; Kalu, Abia, South-East; Yalleman, Jigawa, North-West; Jaji, Zamfara, North-West; Soli, Katsina, North-West; Olawuyi, Kwara, North-Central; Abbas, Kaduna, North-West; and Onuoha, Imo, South-East.
The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is from Lagos in the South-West, while the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, is from Borno State in the North-East.
The APC is now left to consider National Assembly leadership positions for the remaining zones – North-West, North-Central, South-South and South-East – in its much-awaited leadership zoning plan.
