Urge lawmakers to focus on national interest

With the emergence of Dr. Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, eminent Nigerians such as former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and Sokoto State counterpart, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, have has hailed the newly elected leaders of the National Assembly, admonishing them to see their elections beyond the narrow interests of respective political parties.

Atiku in a statement issued by his media office, stated that with the elections of its presiding officers, the eighth National Assembly should swing to work and put the overall national interest above the personal political interests of its members.

Atiku said with the election of its presiding officers, the National Assembly has prepared the ground work for a full legislative business. He reminded every member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives of their responsibilities to their constituents, which, he said, was to put national interest before their individual political interest.

Irrespective of the political mix, through which the presiding officers emerged, the former vice-president noted that the new National Assembly should never lose focus of its role as a partner in progress with other arms of government, especially the executive arm. "The Nigerian people are looking up to the new National Assembly to work with the executive arm to find solutions to the problems of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy and joblessness in the country. Their election is indeed a call to duty, and it is a call for which they cannot afford to fail the nation," he noted.

On his part, Ahmed in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Femi Akorede, said: "On behalf of the government and the people of Kwara State, I congratulate my leader, the new senate president and chairman national assembly."

According to him, "his emergence not only re-affirms the supremacy of popular will, it also underlines our collective preference for a credible legislature and our confidence in Saraki's capacity and competence to lead it."

Also, the new speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Ali Ahmad said that, the emergence of Saraki would add vigour, competence and productivity to the senate, stressing that Nigerians stand to benefit a lot.

Similarly, Tambuwal equally felicitated with the new leaders of both chambers of the National Assembly, for exhibiting high sense of maturity and defence of legislative ethos in the choice of their leaders. In a statement issued in Abuja by his spokesman Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal reiterated that the outcome of the National Assembly elections indicated that democracy has come of age in Nigeria and that the doctrine of the independence of the legislature is gradually taking firm root.

Tambuwal, who is the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, admonished those who were unsuccessful in the contests to regard their actions as positive contributions to democratic process and accept their defeat in good faith.

He urged all Nigerians to rally round the new leadership for them to execute their mandates.

He expressed confidence in the ability of those who emerged, saying their various experiences will steady the ship and allow the new APC-led federal government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, deliver on electoral promises to all Nigerians. The governor admonished the new leaders to carry all members along and ensure that unity, peace and stability pervades the assembly at all times.