A political pressure group, North-East Advancement for Good Governance, has called on Honourable Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, a contender for the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, to step down for Tajudeen Abbas. The group, led by Coordinator Hamza Ukkasha, made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi citing reasons of equity, fair play, national unity, and cohesion, especially since the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the party have handed the North-East subregion the opportunity to produce the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima.
Ukkasha explained, “We strongly appeal and call on Hon. Betara, in the name of patriotism, recognition of ethnic divisions, national cohesion and the greater good of the North-East people, to emulate competent colleagues who have stepped down for Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas and help ensure the smooth take off of the Asiwaju administration.”
The group also commended the APC’s National Working Committee, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, for choosing Abbas as the next Speaker after wide consultations with stakeholders, including the President-elect. Ukkasha further remarked that the 2023 general elections have already come and gone, leaving behind a discussion that requires all hands to be on deck to safeguard the peace and unity of Nigeria.
The group had also preferred that the North-East subregion should produce many officials, including the Speaker, House of Representatives in the Tinubu presidency, but they acknowledged the intricacies of national unity and social cohesion and believed it would be expedient for the group to call on party faithful to allow other zones to produce the Speaker.
The Coordinator stated, “First of all, we want to join other leaders and the party leadership in their decision to zone the office of the Speaker to the North West. This is an undeniable response to goodwill poured out by the people of the region towards the election of Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the last general election.”
