In a remarkable shift, three contenders for the Speaker’s position of the impending 10th House of Representatives, namely Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, and Abubakar Makki Yelleman, have withdrawn from the contest, pledging their support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate, Tajuddeen Abbas.
The trio announced their decision at the Joint Task-10th Assembly meeting in Abuja on Wednesday night, an event attended by Femi Gbajabiamila, the current Speaker, and Senator Godswill Akpabio, the consensus candidate for the 10th Senate President.
On behalf of the other candidates, Doguwa stated that they have chosen to step down for the APC’s nominee to respect the party and align with its preferred candidate for the Speakership seat. He affirmed his loyalty to the party and its zoning arrangements, which he believes he has greatly benefited from, and is therefore now repaying the favor.
Current Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, commended the decision and highlighted the importance of party unity and avoiding past mistakes. He acknowledged that while the decision to support a consensus candidate may be difficult, it was taken with the party and country’s best interests at heart.
Remember that Doguwa and six other aspirants had previously rejected the selection of Tajuddeen Abbas as the APC’s candidate, leading to the formation of the G7 group of discontented aspirants. However, this recent development indicates a shift towards unity and party alignment as the 10th House of Representatives takes shape.
