The meeting which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja was connected to the ongoing leadership tussle at the national assembly.
The Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase and Aminu Sani Jaji were absent at the meeting held by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday night with other elected lawmakers and ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) governors.
The meeting which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja was connected to the ongoing leadership tussle at the national assembly.
Muktar Betara, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Miriam Onuoha, and Sada Soli: aspirants for the Speakership attended the meeting.
However, Daily Trust reports that despite being invited to the meeting, the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, and Aminu Sani Jaji, who were also both running for the seat, were curiously missing.
According to reports, the President urged lawmakers to vote for the candidates chosen by his party for leadership posts in the Senate and House of Representatives.
He spoke on the need for the APC lawmakers to work for the victory of the APC’s candidates for the 10th NASS leadership.
As a result, the President asked them to campaign for the election of Akpabio, Barau Abbas, and Kalu, stating that the candidates were picked by the party for the sake of national stability.
He also stated that the success of his government was dependent on how well he worked with the National Assembly leadership.
Engineer Sani Bala (APC, Kano), a returning member-elect who attended the meeting, stated that it was brief and to the point.
He stated that the President was unequivocal about what he wants lawmakers to accomplish, which is to back the party's candidates for Senate and House leadership in the next 10th National Assembly.
The lawmaker said, “It was done in 40 minutes. The President was clear, he urged us to unite and work for the party’s candidates. The party chairman and others that spoke at the meeting reiterated the same call for us to forge a common front.
“They both told us the fact that, if we don’t unite, we may end up having a divided Assembly which will not augur well for the President and the nation. That was what happened at the meeting we held with the President.”
Recall that the party backed Abbas Tajuddeen and Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibrin were also backed by the party as Senate President and Deputy, respectively.
However, other candidates for the Speakership fought back, resulting in the establishment of an aggrieved G-7 group.
The group includes Ahmed Idris Wase, Deputy Speaker, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Sada Soli Jibia, Miriam Onuoha, Aminu Sani Jaji, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, and Abubakar Makki Yelleman.
However, for the APC candidates, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Abubakar Makki Yelleman have stood aside.