Two speakership aspirants, Aliyu Betara and Yusuf Gagdi, have stepped down for the preferred candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Tajudeen Abbas, ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

Betara and Gagdi agreed to withdraw from the House of Representatives speakership race after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja on Sunday, on June 11.

Speaking after the meeting, Shettima said: “They have accepted to step down and accept the candidature of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas for the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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“The president was quite touched by their gestures because what binds us together is superior to whatever that divides us.

“We are one big APC family and together we shall cross the Rubicon on Tuesday.”

The leadership of the APC recently nominated Abbas and Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th National Assembly, respectively.

The nomination was further strengthened by the Minority Party Forum, a group of about 70 members-elect, who announced their support for the duo.

It was however rejected by some lawmakers, including the immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Idris Wase.

The Star