By Ahmed Ahmed
A Chieftain of the All progressives Congress (APC) Mr Sabo Mohammed in Bauchi state has appealed to party faithful vying for leadership positions in the 10th National to put their personal interest aside for national and party unity.
Mohammed, made the appeal in an interview with Newsmen on Thursday in Bauchi on Thursday, calling on other contesters to throw their weight behind the choice of the President-Elect, Senator Godswill Apkabio/Jibril Barau for President and Deputy Senate President of the Senate Respectively.
He said they should rally round and support Honourable Tajudeen Abbas and Honourable Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives for the unity and progress of the country and the APC.
The politician called for support of the choice of Tajudeedn Abbas and Benjamin Kalu,
“The ticket that is termed national stability, equity and inclusive parliament,” he said
He urged the likes of Ahmed Wase , Betara, Muktar , Soji and others in the race for Speakership to step down for Tajudeen.
“They should prioritize national interest, they should prioritize party interest and above all sacrifice their personal ambition for national inclusiveness.,” he said.
“If you look at Tajudeen, his credentials in parliament speaks volume. He is eminently qualified to occupy the position of Speakership more than any other politician in the history of Nigeria.
“In the eight Assembly he sponsored 48 motions and bills, the highest by an individual parliamentarian.
“In the 9th Assembly , Tajudeen presented over 70 bills and motions out of which 20 have seen the light of Presidential accent .
According to him, this is unprecedented. That is why his colleagues call him the first ranking legislator and he has been in the National Assembly since 2011. Combine his private life working experience and education to Phd level and a team player I think Tajudeen will go a long way in raising the bar in the National Assembly.
“That is why there is a wisdom in his selection by the President elect camp and the governors Forum because he is well qualified to be the speaker of the House of representatives.
“For Benjamin Kalu, he is a household name in the National Assembly. He is eloquent, erudite and a team player” he said.
The APC stalwart said even the opposition are supporting the Tajudeen and Benjamin ticket.
He therefore commended the decision of Honourable Ado Doguwa to withdraw from the race and support Tajudeen’s nomination.
He appreciated the leadership of the party, the President-elect and the Progressive Governors forum for deciding to zone certain principal offices to respective zones,” he said.
“Mohammed described Senator Jibrin Barau as a well-polished politician with pedigree.
“Jibrin, otherwise called Malia is a well-polished grassroots politician who exerts followership in Kano and the North West politics. Their own is a close deal”