Immediate past deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Ahmed Idris Wase, has congratulated Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu on their election as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th House of Representatives.
Wase in a congratulatory message he personally signed on Wednesday, said every contest must of necessity generate its contentions and expressed readiness to work with new leaders of the House to provide dividends of democracy for Nigerians.
According to him, “Although we were on different sides of the political space, we have, nevertheless always acknowledged that we were all partners in the project of deepening our parliamentary democracy.
“I believe my contest in this Speakership election was much more about making a case for what I considered a lack of equity and fairness in the manner in which my Party’s zoning was done much more than it was about winning.
“As a politician who has been engaging in elections since 2007 and has returned to the House for the 5th term, I verily understand that every contest must generate its necessary contentions. However, in the end, we have to come together to confront the bigger matters of stability of the Parliament and enriching Legislative Governance to deepen our collective democracy.
“In this light, I wish to once again congratulate the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu on their victory and urge my supporters and well-wishers, as well as my fellow contestants to give them all the cooperation required to achieve a stable and united 10th House of Representatives.
“I intend to fervently and actively participate in all Legislative Business of the 10th Assembly and will continue to proudly represent not only the good people of Wase Federal Constituency but Nigerians at large.
“I thank my mentor and Leader, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR for his continuous fatherly support and counsel which he has sustained from my early days in ACN till date.
“I am immensely indebted to you sir and will continue to be.
“I thank my constituents who have consistently demonstrated their unalloyed faith in and support for me by continuously returning me to the Green Chambers now for the 5th term to represent them. I will continue to represent you well.
“I thank my Campaign Team and supporters for their ceaseless efforts throughout the campaign. I am very much indebted to you.
“I thank all my Honorable Colleagues for their support and counsel. I thank those who voted for me. I thank those who did not vote for me.
“I thank those who voted my opponent even when their heart was with me. I am eternally grateful to you all and must say that I have been further enriched by the experience.
“I assure all my colleagues that I will continue to, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, show ‘Charity towards all and Malice towards none’.
Thank you and May God bless the House of Representatives and May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
