NASS Leadership: Wike Backs Tinubu

Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor has urged All Progressives Congress, APC members in the National Assembly to accept the choice of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Wike had dumped his party’s candidate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to support Tinubu for the presidential election in the February 25 election.

The governor is said to have been penned down for appointment as a minister in the next dispensation, as a reward for supporting Tinubu in the last election.

His support for the president-elect on the leadership of the 10^th NASS may not be unconnected with his quest to remain in his good books, analysts say.

Some APC senators and members of the House of Representatives have kicked against Tinubu’s choice of Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen Abass, as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, saying they were not consulted.

While Akpabio seems to be enjoying cross-party support for his ambition to become the next Senate President, the same cannot be said of Abass who has been rejected by many lawmakers.

No fewer than five APC lawmakers have vowed to contest against him when the time comes to elect the next Speaker later in June.

But speaking at the weekend in Abuja, Governor Wike said the APC must not repeat the 2015 mistake when the division in the party led to the opposition hijacking the leadership of NASS.

Wike stated that Tinubu has promised to unite the party during the campaign, urging the members of the party to support him to chart a new course for APC, adding that Tinubu is not likely to succeed if the next NASS work at cross purpose with his government.

According to the governor, “During his campaign, he, Tinubu, promised to unite every Nigerian and bring competence.

“It’s not going to be because you are members of APC or not, we want Nigerians with the capacity to help people deliver what will make Nigeria to be great.

“No President can do very well if he does not have that leadership that is not ready to cooperate with him. If you remember what happened in 2015, that affected the performance of the present administration.

“In the interest of Nigerians, let them respect the leadership of their party and the President-elect to move forward.”

Meanwhile, the magazine learned that the reason why Tinubu rushed home from France may not be unconnected with the efforts of the ruling party to get his intervention in the NASS leadership crisis it’s too late.