The chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Healthcare Services, Hon Chike Okafor, has confirmed his interest in race for speakership of 9th assembly of the House.
Speaking in Abuja Monday, Okafor also urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to use his ambition for the speakership to compensate the South-east zone of the country, dismissing the widely reported zoning of the position to the South-west.
Further, he called for equitable distribution of leadership positions with a view to fostering unity in the country, saying it would enhance the growth of democracy.
“We should be the people’s party. The party entrenching and building democratic landmarks instead of the party that is deepening the lines of sectionalism. President Muhammadu Buhari inspires hope not just to some of us, but to the entire country. Following his victory, he declared that his victory is for all Nigerians and promised to run an all inclusive government.
“It is expected the entire gamut of the party should align with the president and embrace the politics of inclusion. Whatever be the case, I am certain the leadership of our great party would desire the best for the leadership of the 9th Assembly and I come with requisite competences drawn from both private and public sector of our society.
“Legislative experience is very important, but good training, vast exposure to the entire workings of the economy, through years of playing in the organised private sector, and public sector, from the state level for three and half years, and now four years as a federal legislator would give me an edge over other contestants to the office of speaker.”
Speaking on the party’s zoning arrangement, he insisted that “While the position of the senate president has been zoned by our party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) to the North-east, we are aware that the party is yet to zone the speakership of the House of Representatives to any zone.“You are already aware of the clamour from across the country for equitable distribution of the principal offices of the National Assembly and most importantly, the recent push by several APC support groups from across the Northern states and the South-east calling on the party leadership to zone the speakership of the 9th Assembly of the House of Representatives to the South-east.
“In 2015, the APC denied the South-east principal-officer positions in the National Assembly on the ground that we did not have a ranking member under the APC. I was slated for leadership position then, but was eventually denied the position of deputy whip because I was a first timer, now I am back and ranking”, the lawmaker who represents Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/Obowo federal constituency of Imo state stated.
