APC speakership hopefuls meet with opposition reps to produce consensus candidates

Seven speakership hopefuls of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday, met with some members-elect of the house of representatives.

The meeting was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

At the meeting, the reps-elect from the opposition parties and the APC speakership hopefuls reached an agreement on a consensus candidate for speaker and deputy positions.

Dubbed Greater Majority, the opposition reps cut across the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), Young Peoples Party (YPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The APC speakership hopefuls include Idris Wase, Yusuf Gagdi, Muktar Betara, Sada Soli, Mariam Onuoha and Sani Jaji.

In a statement issued by the media office of Gagdi, the nominated consensus candidates will be unveiled at a later date.

“The G7 met with Greater Minority and agreed on consensus candidates for speaker and deputy speaker but we will not mention the names yet,” Gagdi was quoted as saying.

“We reached the agreement based on the best choice of people that will be acceptable to the majority of all parties involved.

“We have formed this alliance to resist all attempts by external forces to impose leadership on the 10th house of representatives. Be rest assured that the next leader of the house will emerge from us.“

Speaking for the Greater Majority, Fred Agbedi, a ranking lawmaker, said the alliance with the aspirants is a progressive partnership.

He said the Greater Majority would work with all members-elect of the opposition camps to ensure that the 10th house elect “a speaker for all”.

The All Progressives Congress had anointed Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as the preferred candidates for the positions of speaker and deputy.

The nominations have been rejected by six aspirants who have allied to ensure the speaker is elected from among them.

The APC has 175 seats, while the opposition parties share 182 seats among them.

However, some opposition reps-elect have pledged to support the APC-preferred candidates for the presiding officers of the house.