Boma Achenimie 
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday met with 360 members-elect of the House of Representatives and 109 senators-elect at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The meeting with the lawmakers-elect is coming barely 24 hours after President Tinubu held a meeting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal lawmakers-elect,
Speaking at the meeting, Tinubu urged the lawmakers-elect to band together and support the APC consensus candidates for the 10th National Assembly leadership positions.
It would be recalled that the APC’s preferred candidates are Godswill Akpabio, Jibrin Barau, Tajudeen Abbas, and Benjamin Kalu for Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.
The President, who was joined at the meeting by Vice President Kassim Shettima, current Senate President Ahmed Lawan, current Speaker and Chief of Staff-designate, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and other important figures, stated that this was done in order to deliver a functioning nation and ensure a smooth take-off of his government with the seamless election of the next National Assembly presiding officers.
According to Tinubu, the four selected ranking lawmakers for the positions of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Senate President, and Deputy Senate President have the ability, technical know-how, experience, inclusive spirit, and humility to lead a stable and forward-thinking parliament that recognizes the urgency and need to use parliamentary tools to solve pressing national issues.
The President and his Vice President discussed the necessity for parliamentarians to work with him to deliver by supporting and electing Akpabio and Barau as Senate President and Deputy, respectively, and Abass and Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively, in a humble manner while keeping an open mind.
The President pleaded with the dissatisfied hopefuls to put their differences behind them and promised lawmakers that if they all gave up their individual flags in favour of the national flag of progress, he would make sure that Nigeria’s potential would be realized.
Messages emphasizing the necessity for confirmation and the shared responsibility of working to complete the Nigeria project were then delivered.
By way of Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, the lawmakers-elect responded and thanked the President for laying the foundation for cohesiveness, inclusivity, and stability. They also assured him that his message had been effectively conveyed and received by them.
Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, member-elect for Ideato North/South federal constituency of Imo State and communication adviser to the Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu Campaign Organization, said lawmakers have accepted the president’s message and hand of friendship in the direction of having a stable and inclusive Parliament that will accomplish urgent national goals.
According to Ugochinyere, the President’s choice to invite lawmakers from the opposition party as well as the ruling party in his effort to ensure a smooth transition of power was a positive development that has been accepted on the grounds of the public’s interest and the need for courageous decisions in order to address pressing national issues.
On that basis, he stated, MPs have resolved to cooperate amicably with the executive branch of government without jeopardizing the legislature’s independence.