Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima with consensus Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu in Abuja
Photo: Ibrahim Shehu/Radio Nigeria
The Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, has warned against having a rancorous National Assembly, saying it will stain the relationship between the legislature and executive.
Senator Shettima made the remark when the consensus candidates for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, met with him in Abuja.
Addressing the lawmakers numbering over 100, Senator Shetimma said former President, Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 election as a result of a rancorous Assembly, following the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as speaker of the House against his party’s wishes.
“I will take upon myself to reach out to the other contenders. We will continue with the engagements so we can have a rancour free Assembly.
President Buhari could do little in his first tenure because of rancorous relationship between the executive and the legislature.
What was accomplished in the last four years was because of the harmonious relationship between the executive and legislature.” He said.
While justifying the choice of Senator Akpabio for President of the upper house, the former Borno governor said the party was trying to avoid a situation whereby the number-one citizen, number-two citizen, the number-three citizen, and the number-four citizen are all of the same faith.
In his remarks, the endorsed candidate for speaker, Mr Abass, who expressed gratitude to the president-elect, Bola Tinubu and his vice, assured them that under their leadership, there would be a harmonious legislative-executive relationship for the progress of the country.
Earlier, Mr Kalu, the spokesperson of the House, thanked the APC, President-Elect Tinubu and Senator Shetimma for rewarding the South-East despite the abysmal performance of the party at the general election in the zone.
The meeting was at the instance of the joint task group of the 10th House, comprising members of all the political parties with members-elect.
Reporting by Ibrahim Shehu; Editing by Oluwaseyi Ajibade and Tony Okerafor