Opposition Reps-Elect Insist On Contesting Speakership

House of Representatives members-elect on the platform of opposition political parties are insisting on contesting the positions of  Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Green chamber of the National Assembly.
They said they had more than 180 members (being over 50 per cent of the elected members) and that this was sufficient quorum not to surrender the two positions completely to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a communique signed by its convener, Fred Agbedi and 18 others at the end of a meeting, in Abuja, Wednesday, the opposition lawmakers, who styled themselves as “Greater Majority” said they were united in the pursuit of their objective.
Part of the communique read: “We have resolved to set up an 11-man committee to scout for a credible and acceptable candidates that would vie for those offices, and then actively seek the unification of Nigerians along ethno-religious lines. The Greater Majority with more than 180 elected members (being over 50% of the elected members) will remain one indivisible coalition during the 10th National Assembly, with the interest of the country as its driving force.
“That the Greater Majority of the 10th National Assembly will be continually guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the collective interest of Nigerians being its major concern. Nigerians should not lose hope due to the country’s current unpleasant situation, including the disunity plaguing the nation, which is the direct consequence of APC’s misrule. The Greater Majority of the incoming 10th National assembly will remedy these problems as a matter of priority.
“The Great Majority will continue to unify the coalition of opposition parties so that it can be an effective check on the ruling party in order to safeguard the rule of law.”