Benjamin Kalu, a member of the House of Representatives for Bende Federal Constituency has dismissed insinuations suggesting that the make up of 9th Assembly is for the purpose of turning them into Rubber Stamp for the 10th Assembly,the quest for new leadership gathers momentum.
Speaking on Sunday in an interview with Channels Television monitored by Newsstarlet,Ben Kalu wondered why a House that has outperformed other Assemblies in the history of the country could be seen or labeled as Rubber Stamp in the hands of few individuals in the party.
The House spokesperson urged Nigerians to be fair in their assessment of the 9th Assembly and the most crucial roles they played in terms of bills and renewal of the electoral act which was obsolete, adding that the act got better drafting through legislative intervention that suits the dynamics of the current time.
“I think we should be fair in attaching labels , you know very well that our track record shows that we have outperformed.”
“I don’t think that the description is fit for the job that we have done.”
“We made PIB become PIA ,we have looked at the constitutional review and out of 35 ,we got 16 back the sections of the constitution that we sent to Mr President.”
“You know the electoral act which was obsolete got renewed with better drafting through legislative intervention that suits the dynamics of our current time.”
He further maintained that rancour perceived across over the new leadership of the National Assembly is not a true definition of an efficient legislature, adding that legislature which understands the national objectives should be the main focus of every Nigerian.
On May 8, the APC nominated Tajudeen Abbas and Kalu as the preferred choice for speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.
Some lawmakers, including Idris Wase, the outgoing deputy speaker, had rejected the party’s nominations.
Abbas is from the north-west zone of the country while Kalu hails from the south-east.
Reacting to the development, Kalu said the decision of the party is to achieve nation-building and national cohesion.
He said the south-east did not hold any top leadership positions in the 9th national assembly, adding that it would be a “big risk” for the APC to neglect the zone in the 10th assembly.
“The difference between the administration that we are expecting our president-elect is that he knows the importance of healing. The journey to the 2027 elections starts with what we do now,” he said.
“When you talk about nation building you forget about sentiments, you forget about emotions and look at the strongest argument.
“The strongest argument here is how we will incorporate all the beautiful efforts of the diversified parts of the country and come together to work for what we preach. It is by unity, peace and progress.
“You may recall that in the last four years, the south-east was not holding any of the presiding officers’ positions and it has impacted this election, among other things.
“I can assure you if you neglect south-east again, a whole zone in such a sensitive position, then you battle again in 2027, that is a big risk for any great planner to take.
“If you start now to plan and adopt this spirit of inclusion, south-east is going to yield a better harvest than what was yielded before.”
