Aminu Tambuwal elected speaker, against PDP's choice

[emezico]

The seventh National Assembly took off on Monday with members electing their main principal officers.

In the Senate, it was a smooth ride for David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu as they were returned unopposed as president and deputy president respectively.

But in the House of Representatives, the situation was different. Members ignored President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party's directive to elect Mulikat Akande-Adeola as Speaker, but chose Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto State (North-West).

Tambuwal, a 45-year-old lawyer, polled 252 votes in a landslide victory while Akande-Adeola , also a lawyer from Oyo State(South-West), polled only 90 votes during the seven-hour election that was dogged by intrigues and drama.

There were 351 votes, out which eight were voided and one member abstained in the open secret balloting. The PDP has 202 lawmakers in the House as against a total of 158 legislators elected on the platforms of other political parties.

The PDP had zoned the position to the South-West and had warned its members not to contest against Akande-Adeola, who is also the preferred candidate of the Presidency and the 26 PDP governors.

Tambuwal, a former Deputy Whip of the House , was one of the leaders of the anti-zoning movement in the House, which later got the support of the majority of the 266 fresh members.


Source: The Punch