The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has warned supporters and lawmakers to stop addressing Kaduna lawmaker, Tajudeen Abbas, as the incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly.
Adamu said the ruling party had consultation with other aspirants still in the race and other legislative stakeholders.
The APC had earlier adopted Abbas as its candidate for Speaker seat, a situation that sparked outrage from other aspirants in the race.
Adamu spoke on Tuesday when he received Abbas and about 100 lawmakers-elect at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
The lawmakers, who comprised members of the Joint Task Committee and loyalists of the current Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, held a closed-door meeting with Adamu.
Tuesday’s political roundtable was the first time Abbas would be meeting with the Adamu-led National Working Committee of the APC after the party on May 8 announced its zoning arrangement for the leadership of the incoming National Assembly.
Speaking after the meeting, Adamu cautioned Abbas’ followers to stop addressing him as ‘Speaker’ until he is elected on June 13.
He said, “I want to make one correction so that we will not be misrepresented. Quite a number of you have referred to Hon. Abbas at the Speaker. Please, he is one of the aspirants. He will become a Speaker on the day of proclamation. The laws guiding the office are very clear. He will earn it (Speaker) on the day of proclamation by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the 10th National Assembly.
“The Clerk to the National Assembly will conduct election; there is no option than the election. When he comes out of that election and they raised his hand and when he is sworn in as Speaker, that nomenclature becomes most appropriate. In the meantime, wait and continue doing your good work. After reporting to the NWC about the discussions we had with the President-elect and leaders like the Vice President-elect, the Senate President, the Speaker; my humble self, my deputies (North and South) and the National Secretary, it was clear in our declaration that there is a need for further and better consultations so that we can take as much as we can to massage political egos so we can end up with what we want with National Assembly leadership in both chambers.”
Adamu said the APC NWC had received all the other aspirants for the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In his remarks, Abbas said his engagement with other aspirants had started yielding result as three of the aspirants had stepped down for him.
