NEXT SPEAKER OF House Of Reps Emerged: I Will Partner Buhari As The New Speaker If…

Hon. Pally Iriase is a second timer in the House of Representatives, a former Secretary to Edo State Government, a former Deputy Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly and a two-term local government chairman. In this chat, he speaks on how he will assist President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to deliver dividends of democracy.

It is like the All Progressives Congress, APC, may not zone the speakership to your zone. If that happens, what will you do?
Well, I do not wish for my party to go the route that PDP found itself in 2011. I would not say just because I am interested in the leadership of the House, I will wish my party ill.
It is unfortunate that somewhere along the line, these issues were not outlined before the elections which ought to have been a guide but I can assure you that majority of the members-elect are awaiting the party’s zoning formula while wishing that justice equity and fairness will guide that exercise and I can assure you that, so long as the zoning is fair and equitable, members will not rock the boat the way of 2011. Another thing you will want to know is that the president- elect comes across as s strong personality with a robust mandate not necessarily in number but because of his general acceptability in the highly populated states in Nigeria and, for that reason, I do not expect that APC will finish the zoning whichever way it goes and fold their arms.
Policy and democracy is about people influencing each other and the party would want to start its relevance fight from the word go because if one fails to learn from history, you are bound to suffer the consequences from your lack of understanding.
What makes you feel you can conveniently pilot the affairs of the House as you know that you are just first among equals?
Let me formally inform you that I am contesting and, by the grace of God and the support of all men and women of goodwill, I shall win and become the Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives on inauguration day. My aspiration is driven by the desire to provide complementary leadership in the House of Reps to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as a zero tolerant leader to corruption in our public life.
My aspiration is anchored on the federal character provision of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; my aspiration is based on my robust experience and undeniable qualification for the post of Speaker
My aspiration is propelled by my desire to champion a legislative agenda that gives meaning and practical expression to the change mantra of the incoming administration of APC.
I am a second term member-elect to represent Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State in the 8th House of Reps.
I hold a B.Sc. second class upper division in accountancy from the UNN and M.Sc. in accounting from the University of Lagos. I am a fellow of the prestigious Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) I am happily married and we are blessed with three grown up well established children and I am a Christian.
I am a focused, courageous, determined, friendly and humble person who cherishes integrity in my entire relationship with people.
My leadership experience is multifaceted. I was the head of internal audit department of Bendel state university with two campuses at Ekpoma and Abraka which have today become two full fledged universities, namely Ambrose Ali and Delta states universities respectively, I was national chairman of committee of heads of internal audit departments in Nigerian universities.
I was an award winning bank manager and rose to the post of assistant controller in the bank before veering into politics in 1998. In was the pioneer deputy speaker of Edo state house of assembly in this 4th republic and I served the full four year term unimpeached thereby making me the only speaker or deputy speaker to have survived the four year tenure under this dispensation to date in Edo state.
I have been chairman of Owan east local government council and simultaneously the Edo state chairman of the association of local governments of Nigeria and a national vice president of ALGON 2003 to 2007. I have been the secretary to Edo state govt.
In the house of reps I am the deputy chairman of constituency outreach committee and a member of key committees such as public accounts, finance, banking and currency, housing and Niger Delta affairs. I was also a member of the special committee on selection at inception in 2011. I have been a vibrant activist in these committees and irrepressible advocate of honesty, integrity and accountability in the house, ministries and agencies.
You have hinged your campaign so far on federal character. Do you think this will give the speakership?
I am a foremost ranking member-elect from the South-South.
Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from the few states or from the few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in any of its agencies. I emphasized ‘SHALL’.
On May 29, 2015, the president-elect will swear an oath of allegiance and the oath of office and subsequently members-elect of the House of Representatives will swear an oath of membership. The most persistent feature in these oaths contained in the 7th schedule of the Constitution is a declaration to preserve the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy in the Constitution and to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
The incoming government is therefore inexorably bound to respect the federal character. What this means is that unless no qualified member is found of the majority party from a particular geo political zone, you cannot ignore that zone in considering who should be Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The president elect is from the North-West and the vice president elect from the South-West; therefore based on the federal character provision of the Constitution, neither of these zones should get priority for National Assembly presiding officers.
When you consider the implication of the foregoing and factor in the feasible permutations for Senate presiding officers, it is clear that the South-South should be given the nod to produce the Speaker of the 8th assembly by the APC.
So what will be your agenda for the 8th House?
When I become the Speaker, by the grace of God and the choice of all members-elect, I will be committed to transparency and anti-corruption in governance in general and in the House in particular I will ensure prudent management and overall good governance in Nigeria.
My goal will also be dogged defence and preservation of the respect and integrity of the legislature in Nigeria.
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