Cross Udo and David Lawani, Abuja

The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday said he does not have any preferred candidates for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

Tinubu stated this disclosed this while addressing new members-elect to the National Assembly at a meeting organised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This came as the APC charged the National Assembly lawmakers-elect to return to their respective states to work for the party’s victory at the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections on Saturday, March 18.

The President-elect’s position on the composition of the leadership of the soon-to-be-composed 10th National Assembly was delivered at the meeting by the vice president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima.

There were speculations that the meeting was convened by the ruling party to sort out the likely distribution of leadership offices in the two chambers of the next National Assembly to avert a repeat of the 2015 scenario in which the party lost control of the affairs within the chambers, despite having the most seats in both Houses.

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In his speech at the parley, the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said it was an understatement to say that the ruling party is the clear choice of the people.

According to him, “Three times, we asked the people to give us the thumbs up; and three times they did not hesitate to do so. They did so in 2015. They did so in 2019. They have now done it again in 2023.

“It reminds us that to whom much is given, much is expected. It is an understatement to say that much has been given to us and we must reciprocate by giving much more to the people and our dear country.”

He expressed happiness that although the notice for the meeting was short, the response, has been overwhelming.

Adamu said, “It is not an understatement to say that our presence at this meeting points to our preparedness to join hands with the president-elect as he works on his plans to renew our hopes and rebuild our confidence in our government.”

He told the president-elect, and vice-president, that they are the new team in Nigeria.

He said, “From May 29 this year, the burden of our national unity, peace, and development will rest on your shoulders as a team. The National Assembly elections produced infusions of the old and the new. This blend of the young and the old should be a recipe for a harmonious working relationship.

“The exuberance of the new members must be moderated by the age and the experience of the returning members, some of whom are now almost permanent fixtures in the legislature.

“Your elections testify to the people’s renewed hope in the capacity of our party and its leaders at all levels, to deliver on its promises to build a prosperous, united, and inclusive nation in which the green passport is our collective identity as compatriots.

“It is a matter of personal pride tinged with humility for me that with your unequivocal support and singular commitment to our common cause as a party, I have been privileged as the National Chairman of our party to lead it to victory.

“As the Onitsha man likes to say, it was not easy. It should be no less a matter of our collective pride equally tinged with gratitude that despite whatever our detractors and mischief makers may say, APC has continued to deepen our democracy and has given back to the people the power to institute governments of their choice.

“It is fair and honourable to admit that the February 25 elections were not perfect. We did not set out to conduct perfect elections. World history has no instances of perfect elections. Like all other democratic nations, we set out to conduct free, fair, and credible elections. This we did.

“I am proud to say we achieved this feat and delivered on the promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari to the people.

“For the first time in living memor