Politicians have started expressing interest in the race to become the top lawmaker in the Green Chamber of the upcoming 10th National Assembly, even though the All Progressives Congress (APC) has yet to formally announce the zoning of the speakership position and other presiding and principal offices for the incoming 10th House of Representatives.
According to recent accounts, there is already competition among at least five House ranking members for the position of speaker for the 10th assembly.
They included the current deputy speaker, Hon. Idris Wase from Plateau State, the current spokesman of the House, Hon. Ben Kalu, the majority leader, and Hon. Aliyu Betara, who represents the Biu/Kwaya federal constituency in Borno State. Aminu Sani Jaji, a former chairman of the House of Representatives committee on National Security and intelligence in the 8th Assembly, was also present.
Additionally, reports indicate that Hon. Yusuf Gagdi of Plateau state, the chairman of the House Committee on Navy, has entered the competition for the top parliamentary position.
Gagdi, the most recent candidate, is the representative of Plateau State’s Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in the north-central geographic zone.
Upon entering the national parliament for the first time, Gagdi quickly became engaged in internal politics, aligning himself with the “progressives” group, and eventually rose to the position of chairman of the house committee on the Navy, a position that is typically not granted to a newcomer.
Gagdi is one of those who is currently pushing hard for the speakership position to be zoned to the north central in order to allow him to officially declare his interest when the House resumes for plenary session on Tuesday of next week.
The 42-year-old lawmaker was born on November 5, 1980. Prior to taking his current position, he served in a number of other capacities, including legislative assistant to the deputy speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2006, member of the Plateau State Library Board from 2012 to 2014, and chairman of the federal board of the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA Makurdi from 2012 to 2014; chairman of the special committee on peace, security, and reconciliation for Plateau State in
