The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Okezie Kalu has declared his intention to vie for the position of speaker in the 10th Assembly.
Honourable Kalu who represents Bende federal constituency of Abia state on the platform of the APC made his intention known in Abuja.
Being the first lawmaker from the south east to declare for speaker, he said that he was interested in becoming the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
He noted that that he deserves to be rewarded with the position of speaker for his loyalty to the party and for campaigning for the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at the risk of his life.
“The APC gave me a platform. I was the only member of APC that fought and won for the House of Representatives in Abia state. I defended my party, I took bullets for my party, I projected my presidential candidate even when it was like a taboo to do so in the south-eastern region. My office received hundreds of bullets or more because I was preaching APC. It is time for a reward. If there is loyalty to the party, loyalty should always be rewarded to stimulate further loyalty. If I stood firm to win for my party in Bende federal constituency, as the only surviving APC House of Reps member in the entire Abia state, it means that I have something to offer and I defended my party. It is time for my party to let my people know that I didn’t make any mistake by standing by the party. Let them give us what is my due based on my qualification,” Kalu said.
He however, pledged to abide by the party’s zoning arrangement even if it does not favour him saying, “As a party man, I’ll oblige my party.”
He also said that he believes in the supremacy of the party which is key.
” You can have your aspiration, you can dream but it must be within the control of the platform for which you got to the house,” he said.
He stressed that said he was competent to lead the House as no lawmaker from the south-east has been a speaker in four decades
Honourable Kalu says, “I’m bringing on board transformative, and legislative intervention that is based on innovation and it is only people like us who have been equipped that will be able to bridge that gap.”
He however advised the party not to impose a speaker on the people but allow lawmakers to make the choice of who they want.
“We need to have new members buy into our competence to lead. It is not good for leaders at home to impose someone that will lead the members of the parliament without the members having any knowledge about who is coming to lead them,” he said.
He stated thatt: “Nigerians are looking for a Speaker that will increase what I call parliamentary sovereignty where the motions, the resolutions and independence of the arm of government would be showcased better than 9th assembly had struggled because 9th assembly has maintained its independence, then we need somebody that will take the bath and sustain that independence.
“Many people say rubber stamp but we have always consciously monitored the borderline in the way we sustain this racer free relationship with the executive., understanding the doctrine of separation of power, knowing the borderline between what is expected by the mandate of our arm of government constitutionally speaking and where the mandate of the executive starts,” he added.
Confidence Okwuchi
