It will be recalled the news that Betara was billed to announce his withdrawal from the speakership race before the Tuesday, June 13, inauguration of the 10th National Assembly was rife in the media.
In a statement yesterday, Tajudeen Abbas/Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu Joint Task Campaign Office stated that the aspirant alongside others have formally stepped down for Abbas, thereby dismantling the Group 7 (G7) aspirants who were initially opposed to his candidacy.
The campaign office also dismissed the speculations that the Abbas candidacy was not known to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
With the withdrawal, it becomes apparent that the coast to victory is cleared for the duo of Abbas and the deputy speaker nominee, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
Apparently, the only person still existing in the aggrieved group of 7 opposed to the candidacy of Abass is now the immediate past deputy speaker, Hon. Idris Wase who has repeatedly said in many fora that he would contest against the rule of play.
The statement read in full: “It has come to the attention of the Joint Task – 10th Assembly that some aspirants for the Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives claimed that the President/Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, never mentioned the name of Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas as his preferred candidate for Speaker, but the President only said he aligned with the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) on zoning arrangements.
“It is pertinent to mention that the so-called G7 no longer exists as key members of the forum such as Rt. Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Rt. Hon. Makki Yalleman and Rt. Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, among others, have since dropped their speakership ambitions and declared support for the Abbas/Kalu ticket. It is worth noting that Betara and Gagdi announced that they stepped down for Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas today, Sunday, June 11 after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“As of Sunday, June 11, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (PhD) has secured the endorsement of the overwhelming majority of members-elect across the eight political parties in the six geopolitical zones, and he is ready to compete on the floor of the House and take the mantle of leadership of the 10th House come Tuesday, June 13”.
