9th Assembly: Lawmakers to resist imposition of leaders – Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has
cautioned political parties to resist the urge to sponsor or impose
candidates for leadership positions in the two chambers of the
National Assembly “as history has shown that it is always a futile
effort.”

Speaking at the orientation ceremony for Batch B of 9th Assembly
members-elect and senators-elect in Abuja, the Speaker advised any
political party with such an agenda to ensure that it carries all
members along.

“I am not here to dictate to the parties, which have their
manifestos and know how they conduct their businesses but one thing
I have said is that it is better to allow the leadership to emerge
from the people.

“But where leadership is forced upon the people, in the history
of the National Assembly, it has never endured.

“Whoever a party is sponsoring, they should make sure that they
have the backing of the legislators so that they accept it; so that
they own the process and the leadership. That way, they will always
come out to defend it,” Dogara stated.

Listing the qualities to be considered in choosing the next
leadership of the House, the Speaker noted, among other things,
that such a candidate must have the ability to steer the affairs of
the House to surpass the unparalleled achievements the 8th Assembly
has made in the legislative history of Nigeria.

“We do not want any leadership that will take us back, we have
made a lot of mileage and we hope we are able to get the kind of
leadership that will build on the achievements of this assembly,
which is unparalleled in our legislative history.

“So, I will advise members to look at members that have thrown
themselves into the race to see who is it that will aggregate their
aspirations better and be able to surpass the records of this
assembly,” Dogara cautioned.