I’ve not endorsed anyone for National Assembly leadership – President-elect

The president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said he has not endorsed anyone for the leadership of the National Assembly.
Tinubu said this at a meeting of the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress with National Assembly members-elect held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Lobbying for the Senate presidency and the speaker positions has peaked since last week when certificates of return were issued to winners of the February 25 parliamentary elections.
Contenders for the presiding officers positions have been lobbying their colleagues ahead of the inauguration of the 10th assembly in June.

Theeditorial.ng gathered that those who are eyeing the Senate president position include Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano), Godswill Akpabio (APC, Akwa Ibom), Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia), Sani Musa (APC, Niger) and Dave Umahi (APC, Ebonyi).
Contenders for the speaker position include deputy speaker of the house, Ahmed Idris Wase (Plateau); chairman of House Committee on Appropriations, Muktar Aliyu Betara (Borno); House Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa (Kano) and Aminu Sani Jaji (Zamfara).

The leadership of the party is expected to announce the zoning of the presiding officers before the inauguration of the 10th assembly.

A source at the meeting said the president-elect through the vice president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, told the lawmakers-elect that he has not endorsed anyone.

“The crux of the matter was that neither the party nor the president-elect has endorsed anyone for any National Assembly positions.

“Our focus is on the governorship and state assembly elections coming up on Saturday. We call on our elected representatives to go back to the base and work assiduously for the success of our candidates in the upcoming elections,” the source said.

The source said a meeting would be convened by the party to decide on the zoning of the presiding officers after the governorship elections.

“The party is supreme. At the appropriate time, the party in consultation with President Buhari, the president-elect, the vice president-elect and other key stakeholders will deliberate on the issues at stake and make informed decisions taking into cognisance national interest, stability of the country, equity, justice and fairness,” he said.