•Urge aggrieved aspirants to back duo
Udora Orizu in Abuja
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has said the Forum has resolved to back the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the speakership and deputy speakership positions of the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass and Hon. Benjamin Kalu
The governor made the disclosure, when he hosted the campaign team of the Abbas/Kalu joint ticket led by the Joint Task –10th Assembly Coalition at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge on Monday in Asokoro Abuja.
He said the party has made the best choice of presiding officers for the House, and the least the governors could do was to ensure that the party’s preference and vision were actualised come June 13th.
He urged aggrieved aspirants to close ranks with the party’s preferred candidates and work together, adding that Abbas’ choice by the party was not an imposition.
“I congratulate you once more for the success you achieved in the last election and to commend you for coming together to form an alliance towards the speakership race. You have taken a good decision to support these two gentlemen.
“What we are practicing today is democracy and APC is the ruling party and you have a responsibility now to help the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed, and we all know that the most sensitive arm of government is the legislature and if we make a mistake with it, the other two arms will be affected.
“If the parliament is right, the government will be right, and I want to urge you to reach out to those who are aggrieved to persuade them to see the reason to agree with us. When you have a situation such as this, you will tell others your party is the best and this instance, APC is in the majority and we have to demonstrate maturity by forging a common front in unity.
“There’s no such thing as imposition, it’s for the benefits of all of us, and the synergy will help us to achieve more for our people back home. If you say that it means you’re willing and ready to disagree with the majority including the government. We know you have the power of appropriation, but when you appropriate, what about cash backing?
“You certainly don’t want to go home after four years and tell your people you couldn’t achieve anything, because you were not co-operating with the executive for their benefit. But when you work in harmony, you will reap the benefits of the cooperation and your people back home will be better for it,” the governor said
Earlier, Abass, and Kalu, commended the governor for hosting the team and assured the governor of their colleagues’ resolve to support the project.
Abass expressed confidence in the ability of the Progressive Governors to ensure that the team as endorsed by the party was delivered come June 13th, adding that the hope of the common man rested on it as far as productive representation was concerned.
Kalu, on his part, explained that his candidature wasn’t an individual recognition, but a mandate of the entire South East, to be on the new team of leaders upon whom the task of providing positive change in the lives of Nigerians has been entrusted.
