Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June, lawmakers-elect of the House of Representatives is set to launch another coalition over the leadership of the House.
The group known as ‘The 10th Assembly Pathfinders’ were picked from across party lines.
According to The PUNCH, the new group would be the third coalition or alliance by members-elect of the 10th House ahead of the election and selection of leaders for the legislative chamber.
The mission statement of The 10th Assembly Pathfinders is “to build a strong, independent, respectable parliament that will work for Nigerians and make Nigeria more stable, peaceful, and prosperous.”
The document partly read, “We are a group of parliamentarians drawn across political party lines for the purpose of building a network of nation builders who will use the platform of the legislature to propose, support, and promote legislative activities to:
“Promote national unity, good governance, responsible leadership, and prosperity of all parts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; promote healthy conversation, debates, and collaboration for national development; ensure equity, fairness, competence, and justice in the allocation of offices, responsibilities, resources, and powers in the 10th House of Representatives; ensure inclusiveness in the leadership composition of the 10th House of Representatives; and harness the social, economic and professional expertise of members of the 10th House of Representatives to propose bills, motions, and advocacy for national development.”
Speaking to the platform, a leading member of the alliance, Bamidele Salam, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Osun State, confirmed the development, noting that the groups were not formed to compete with one another.
Salam stated that he belongs to one of the coalitions that emerged earlier.
Salam said, “We have gone very far. At the last count, we were over a hundred. Our agenda is two-fold: the first is to support the emergence of a leadership that will be credible, competent, and respectable. We want to look at all the people who are vying for positions, to look at credibility, competence, and those that will earn respect for the institution.”
When asked about party membership of The 10th Assembly Pathfinders, the lawmaker noted that it was across party lines.
