By Femi Ogunshola
Rep. Ahmed Wase, the immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has said his insistence on contesting for the speakership of 10th National Assembly was not just about winning but to challenge lack of equity and fairness in his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Wase contested the Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives against Tajudeen Abbas who was backed for the position on Tuesday.
He, however, lost by a wide margin, scoring only three votes to the 353 votes garnered by Abbas to emerge the Speaker of the House.
Wase has refused all entreaties to withdraw for the race in favour of the APC backed Abbas before the election in which he recorded the woeful performance.
But while congratulating Abbas and Rep. Benjamin Kalu on their election as the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th Assembly in a message on Wednesday, Wase explained why he insisted on contesting for the position.
In the concession and congratulatory message Wase also said he would be a partner in the project of deepening the parliamentary democracy.
“I believed that my contest in the Speakership election is about making a case for what I considered a lack of equity and fairness in the manner in which my party’s zoning was done and not about winning.”
He said, “as a politician who has been engaging in elections since 2007 and has returned to the House for the 5th term, I verily understand that every contest must generate its necessary contentions.
”However, in the end, we have to come together to confront the bigger matters of stability of the Parliament and enriching Legislative Governance to deepen our collective democracy.
“I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu on their election as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th House of Representatives.
“Although we were on different sides of the political space, we have, nevertheless always acknowledged that we were all partners in the project of deepening our parliamentary democracy.
He urged his supporters and well-wishers, as well as his fellow contestants to give them all the cooperation required to achieve a stable and united 10th House of Reps.
The former Deputy Speaker said he intend to fervently and actively participate in all legislative business of the 10th Assembly and wouod continue to proudly represent not only the good people of Wase Federal Constituency but Nigerians at large.
“I thank my mentor and Leader, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu for his continuous fatherly support and counsel which he has sustained from my early days in ACN till date.
He said he was immensely indebted to the President and would continue to be, while commending his constituents who had consistently demonstrated their unalloyed faith in and support for him.
(NAN)