10th Reps:  Opposition Members-elect Hold ‘Important’ Meeting In Abuja…Express Readiness To Produce Speaker , Deputy Speaker

As winners of the House of Representatives election held on February 25, 2023, and those who won the supplementary elections that were held in some constituencies about five weeks later get ready for the election that would produce principal officers of the tenth House of Representatives, those who are members of the opposition parties are seeking to produce the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

It would be recalled that the supplementary elections had increased the number of opposition members-elect to 182 which is one vote above the statutory benchmark (181 votes) required to elect a Speaker.

The Minority caucus leadership held  a meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Friday and the opposition members-elect comprising members of seven political parties now referring to themselves as  ‘Greater Majority’  , submitted that they were set to produce the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that a member-elect from Anambra state, Victor Afam Ogene, who spoke with journalists after the meeting, argued that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives every elected member the statutory right to go for any leadership position, subject to the standing orders of the House.

‘Apart from the issue of ranking, every member is entitled to run for the office of Speaker, regardless of political party affiliation.

The All Progressives Congress APC, or indeed, any political party for that matter, reserves the right to regale itself with talks about micro-zoning leadership positions in the National Assembly. But the overriding question remains, are such fanciful engagements binding on the generality of members-elect? The answer today, tomorrow — and until our current constitution is altered to reflect that desire — is a big no.

Issues surrounding this all-important question is easily resolved, in the case of the House of Representatives, by Section 50(1)(b), to wit: ‘There shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves’ he said- Team@orientactualmags.com
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