**As Abbas, Kalu takes lobbying to Nasarawa gov’s lodge in Abuja
The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has indicated that governors on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North would not go against the choice of the president-elect regarding the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Speaking when he received a delegation of the Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen/Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu Campaign Team at the Nasarawa State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja on Thursday, Governor Sule said as a governor, he also has preferred candidates for the leadership of his State Assembly and that “nobody would disagree with me on such decision.”
Governor Sule said going against the choice of the President-elect and the APC could create problem for the administration.
He insisted that the Northern governors were the ones that stood their ground for the presidency to go back to the South, and that the “best has emerged,” saying “If people hear that we’re disagreeing with the president-elect, they will laugh at us. We won’t disagree with him
The Tajudeen/Kalu Campaign Team visited the governor as part of efforts to get the support and blessings of all the relevant stakeholders ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly in June.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had on May 8 released the zoning formula for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
The party picked Sen. Godswill Akpabio from South South as its candidate for the President of the Senate; Sen. Jibrin Barau for Deputy President of the Senate; Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as the Speaker, and Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu as the Deputy Speaker.
Governor Sule told the delegation, led by Tajudeen Abbas, that “I sincerely thank you for finding me worthy to be among the people to be visited for this project.
“We cannot in any way fight the choice of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We cannot in any way fight the choice of our party,” he said.
Rather, Governor Sule said when the president-elect returns to the country, “we’ll sit down with him and ask him what is there for us in the North Central.
“I’m a governor, and when I indicate interest in who becomes the Speaker in my state, nobody argues with me.”
He advised both Hon. Abbas Tajudeen and Benjamin Kalu to reach out to the other contestants for the top positions so as to carry them along and get their buy-in.
“You asked me for advice, and I’ll give you one. I saw you with PDP, LP and the rest of them. That shows you’re serious. Also visit all the other aspirants. Visit all the opposition parties and ask for their support, so that they won’t penalize their members for supporting you.
“I wish you well. I like the way you’re carrying the campaign. Try and carry everybody along. We know that the next administration is coming into an economic storm, so the president needs total peace and stability. From the governors, I promise you we’re going to give him the total support.”
Earlier, the APC candidate for speakership, Rt. Hon. Abbas told the governor that the team visited him to seek his support, cooperation and blessings for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s offices .
He said since his first election to the House in 2011, he has been making modest contributions in the Legislature, which culminated in his sponsoring 74 Bills from 2019 to date, out of which 21 were signed into law.
The Iyan Zazzau noted that he has what it takes to be the Speaker in the incoming 10th Assembly as his 12 years in the Legislature have been productive.
He noted that before becoming a lawmaker, he had been a teacher from primary to tertiary institutions, and that he established three different departments in Nuhu Bamalli and the Kaduna State University (KASU).
He was accompanied on the visit by members-elect for the 10th House from the APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, among others.