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Atiku to lawmakers:'You are
soldiers of democracy'..Jonathan,others
hails new leaders
Newsdiaryonline Mon June
6,2011
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Senator
David Mark and Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on their elections as
President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of
Representatives respectively.
He said the action of the legislators, particularly the way and
manner in which they chose their leaders has given fresh hopes
that the entrenchment of democratic values and ethos is still
possible in the Nigeria that we all desire.
Commending the peaceful and orderly nature of the process, Atiku
said that the National Assembly members have by their enviable
conduct, showed themselves as “soldiers of democracy.”
The former Vice President said in a statement issued by his
media office in Abuja yesterday that he was particularly
encouraged by the pan-Nigerian voting that characterised the
elections of the leadership of the two chambers of the National
Assembly.
“With the pattern of
pan-Nigerian voting adopted by legislators in electing their
leaders, there is hope that a new day beckons for deepening
democratic values and ethos in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the lesson to be learnt from the process that
produced the National Assembly leaders is that transparency,
independent opinion and courage are essential ingredients of an
enduring democracy.
The former Vice President commended the legislators for the
maturity and zeal they showed in choosing their own leaders and
urged them to sustain and extend that same sense of purpose and
political maturity in the service of the nation and the people.
Also today,President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
congratulated the
newly-elected leadership and the
entire members of the 7th National Assembly which was
inaugurated today.
The President believes that the re-election of Senator David
Mark as President of the
Senate and the election of Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as Speaker of
the House of
Representatives by their peers in the National Assembly is an
affirmation of their
leadership qualities and commitment to strengthening
Nigeria’s democratic
institutions.
A statement by Justin O.Abah, deputy director information in the
office of the Special Adviser to the president(media and
publicity) said Mr President looks forward to working
harmoniously with the re-elected Senate
President and his
deputy, as well as the newly elected Speaker and his deputy,
other principal officers and all members of the 7th National
Assembly on the implementation
of his Agenda for National Transformation.
“He wishes the leadership and members of the new National
Assembly a successful tenure
in the service of the nation ’’ the statement from Aso Rock
said.
In a related development, Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole has heartily congratulated the new Speaker
of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Waziri-Tambuwal over his keenly
contested election,
charging him to be sensitive to the growing national
concerns about the huge
cost of governance.
In a letter of congratulation issued in Benin City, the governor
who was elated at
Tambuwal’s emergence said, “Your election is a resounding
affirmation of confidence
in your leadership qualities by your colleagues across political
parties”.
Setting the agenda for the new House, Oshiomhole said that “I am
hopeful and confident
that your leadership of the House would strengthen its
institutional capacity
to provide quality legislation in critical areas of development
and public welfare”.
“We need a leadership that is elevated above narrow and partisan
political calculation
especially in the handling of sensitive issues....I believe that
you have the required
maturity, liberal outlook and consensus-building skills to
nurture the House as an
institution for furthering collective national
interests”.
The governor said “the public rightly expects this new
leadership to be sensitive
to the growing national concerns about the huge cost of
governance”.
“I urge you to cultivate the necessary firmness, prudence and
service-orientation in
order to rationalize the extensive perks and the
unsustainable
expenditure structure of the House, which continue to ignite
public outrage”, he
said.
While wishing Tambuwal a successful tenure, Oshiomhole assured
him of the “full support
and partnership of the people and government of Edo State and my
personal solidarity to
ensure that you succeed in qualitatively uplifting the
House of
Representatives”.
Equally, Gbenga Daniel has described the election of Senator
David Mark and Hon Aminu Tambuwal as president of the
Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives
respectively as the hallmark of a growing democracy. He
also appealed to leaders and politicians in Yorubaland to
fashion out new plan of engagement in the wake of recent
development in the country. The former Ogun State Governor said
members of the senate and the House of Representatives
demonstrated maturity and a desire to deepen democratic values
devoid of primordial sentiments by electing their presiding
officers without rancour. He said given the overwhelming mandate
both men received from their colleagues, the senate
president and the right hon speaker should quickly move to
earn the confidence repose in them by steering the senate
and the House on the path that would meet the yearnings
and aspirations of the people of Nigeria and the greater
glory of the country.
" I want to congratulate the new senate president , the
Speaker and other principal officers of both chambers of the
national Assembly on their election. I know that
given their wealth of experience and the general support
they enjoy among their colleagues , they
will perform the challenging tasks creditably well and in the
general interest of the Nigerian nation. They should
therefore preside over the chambers in such a way that all
parts of the country will feel a sense of belonging. I also
seize this medium to appeal to leaders of thought and
politicians in Yorubaland to fashion a new strategy of
political engagement and ensure that they promote only the
interest of the race within the national arena in order for the
people of the Southwest to regain their rightful position
in the scheme of things in the country. It is obvious that our
current strategy and the people driving it have not given us the
right result. We should see the current situation as a wakeup
call so that we would not be left behind "
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