Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has pledged to support the choice of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
Wike said he will work with the ruling party’s decision to ensure smooth running of the House of Reps.
The governor made the pledge when he received the current Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, who is one of the candidates seeking to succeed Femi Gbajabiamila in the 10th assembly.
“The way we are now, the truth must be told that we are going to support the leadership of your party at the national level. I am not going to support anybody that is coming from anywhere,” said Wike who is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“You (Wase) are an experienced person. What we require now is experience as far as legislature is concern. Experience will stabilise the house. So, you don’t require a green horn,” said the governor.
With the tenancy of current members of the 9th House of Representatives coming to an end in June 2023, elected lawmakers are already canvassing for support to occupy principal offices in the 10th assembly.
But out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives, the APC has 162 seats, making it the party with the majority seats and one most likely to produce the next Speaker.
Wike’s Peoples Democratic Party has 102, Labour Party, 34; New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), 18; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),4; African Democratic Congress (ADC), 2; Social Democratic Party (SDP), 2, and Young Progressives Party (YPP) has one seat. Also, the PDP in Rivers won about nine out of the 12 House of Reps seat in the state during the February 25 poll.
However, with 198 seats to be occupied by opposition political parties, one cannot foreclose the possibility of an alliance ahead of the June inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
Meanwhile, during his visit to Rivers on Monday, Wase solicited Governor Wike’s support for his candidacy ahead of the election of the next Speaker.
“Your excellency, we just finished the national and presidential election , we are about to go into the National Assembly politics and that is why we are here to seek for your support, to seek for your prayers and blessing, by the grace of God so that we can have a unified country, stabilised system.
“Your excellency we are here in your very comfort zone as a leader, as mentor and as a father who has stood very firm in accordance with the provisions of our constitution to see that power is adequately shared. Rotation, is captured under section 14(4) and that is all that you have been doing.
“And as former chairman of federal character in house of representatives, who has chaired this committee for eight good years, I also understand the sentiment and emotions when it comes to distribution of infrastructure development and power equation in the country.”
