The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ahmed Wase, has congratulated Rep. Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Benjamin Kalu as the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th Assembly after Tuesday’s election.

Wase who lost the race to return as one of the principal officers said his decision to stand for the speakership contest was not about winning but due to the lack of equity and fairness in his ruling All Progressives Congress party.

He vowed to team up with the new leadership in the project to strengthen parliamentary democracy in the country.

The House of Rep. member who is returning for the 5th time, appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his fatherly support and counsel which he has sustained from my early days in ACN till date.

“I believed that my contest in the Speakership election is about making a case for what I considered a lack of equity and fairness in the manner in which my party’s zoning was done and not about winning.”

He said, “as a politician who has been engaging in elections since 2007 and has returned to the House for the 5th term, I verily understand that every contest must generate its necessary contentions.

” However, in the end, we have to come together to confront the bigger matters of stability of the Parliament and enriching Legislative Governance to deepen our collective democracy.

“I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu on their election as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the 10th House of Representatives.

“Although we were on different sides of the political space, we have, nevertheless always acknowledged that we were all partners in the project of deepening our parliamentary democracy.

“I thank my mentor and Leader, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu for his continuous fatherly support and counsel which he has sustained from my early days in ACN till date.