The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, has stepped down for Tajudeen Abbas, the preferred candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the contest for Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.
The National Working Committee (NWC) had while unveiling the zoning formula for leadership positions of the 10th Assembly in a statement on May 8, announced Abbas from Kaduna, North-West, as the party’s choice for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Doguwa, seen as one of the strongest aspirants for the position of Speaker of the next House of Representatives, withdrew from the race at a meeting of the Joint Task Group, held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Wednesday, May 18.
Other aspirants who stepped down at the meeting include Abubakar Makki and Tunji Raheem.
Speaking on behalf of the other aspirants at the meeting, Doguwa said he will abide by the wishes of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Don’t imagine that my appearance here is by accident. For those of you who are thinking you’re daydreaming, you’re not daydreaming. This is reality,” he said.
Doguwa, who is associated with the G7 Coalition, a group of seven Speakership aspirants who opposed the position of the party, expressed confidence in Abbas.
He noted that the Kaduna State lawmaker was qualified with legislative experience to effectively lead the 359 members of the House of Representatives.
