Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated the newly elected leaders of the National Assembly, admonishing them to see their elections beyond the narrow interests of respective political parties.
The former Vice President in a press statement issued by his media office on Tuesday, 9 June noted that with the elections of its presiding officers, the 8th National Assembly should swing to work and put the overall national interest beyond the personal political interests of its members.
The Turaki Adamawa said that with the election of its presiding officers, the 8th National Assembly has prepared the ground work for a full legislative business.
Atiku Abubakar while congratulating the new leaders of the parliament on their election, reminded every member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives of their responsibilities to their constituents, which, he said, is to put national interest before their individual political interest.
Irrespective of the political mix through which the presiding officers emerged, he noted, the 8th National Assembly should never lose focus of its role as a partner in progress with the other arms of government, especially the executive arm.
“The Nigerian people look up to the new National Assembly to work with the executive arm in finding solutions to the problems of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy and joblessness in the country. Their election is indeed a call to duty, and it is a call for which they cannot afford to fail the nation.”
Also ,Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has congratulated Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon Yakubu Dogara over their elections as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
He equally felicitated with the Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives over their elections.
In a statement issued in Abuja Tuesday by his spokesman Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal commended members of the two Chambers of the National Assembly for exhibiting high sense of maturity and defence of legislative ethos in the choice of their leaders.
He reiterated that the outcome of the National Assembly elections indicates that democracy has come of age in Nigeria and that the doctrine of the independence of the legislature is gradually taking firm root.
Tambuwal, who is the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, admonished those who were unsuccessful in the contests to regard their actions as positive contributions to democratic process and accept their defeat in good faith.
He urged all Nigerians to rally round the new leadership for them to execute their mandates.
He expressed confidence in the ability of those who emerged, saying their various experiences will steady the ship and allow the new APC-led Federal Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, to deliver on their electoral promises to all Nigerians.
The Governor admonished the new leaders to carry all members along and ensure that unity, peace and stability pervades the Assembly at all times.
