The North Central Elders Forum (NCEF), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to consider zoning the speakership of the 9th House of Representatives to the North Central geo-political zone.
NCEF Chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Ari Gwaska, gave this advise during a world press conference in Abuja, adding that the North Central deserves the exalted office considering its contribution to the success of the ruling party in the 2019 elections.
Muhammadu added that the North Central deserves the speakership based on the number of votes it contributed to the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He further noted that the forum believes in the ability, maturity and the exposure of the Deputy House Leader, Honourable Idris Wase, representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State to be the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives slated for inauguration on June 2019.
He urged the ruling party to imbibe the traditions of party democracy which appropriates the spoils of office when elections are contested and won for the purpose of running an inclusive government and to accommodate divergent interests within the party.
“To forestall the rebellion act that upset the apple cart in 2015 which produced the Senate President and the Speaker from North Central and North East respectively which never had our backing; the national leadership of the APC must ensure that it does not inflict a sufficient damage on itself, which consequences can be better imagined in the selection and election of principal officers of the 9th House of Representatives.”
“The North Central has demonstrated its loyalty and strength to the APC both in 2015 and 2019. In 2019, we contributed 2,441,013 votes to President Buhari compared to South West’s votes of 2,036,450,” he noted.
Commenting on the aspiration of Honourable Umar Bago from Niger State who is also seeking to be the Speaker, the NCEF chairman said the elders will communicate with him (Bago) to step down and support his elder brother, Idris Wase.