Pan African Parliament elects Nigerian new president

THE Pan African Parliament (PAP) has elected a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Bethel Amadi, as its new president.

He succeeded Moussa Ndele of Chad Republic whose tenure expired last week. PAP is the legislative arm of the African Union (AU).

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said Amadi’s emergence will boost Nigeria’s standing in the international scene, as well as boost integration among members on the African continent.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal said Amadi’s experience would come handy in his new responsibilities, adding that the House of Representatives would continue to support the PAP to enable it achieve its objectives.

In South Africa recently, Amadi said Africa could overcome the myriad of challenges confronting its citizens if all organs of government united for a common purpose.

His words: “We can overcome the superficial divisions and boundaries of our colonial past and current neocolonial attempts to divide us into Arabic speaking, francophone, Luxophone, Anglophone or any other phone for that matter,” Amadi said, in a brief victory speech after he ran for president of the Pan African Parliament unopposed.

In the last minute to the elections, the presidential candidate from Tunisia withdrew his candidacy. However, in line with the rules of procedure, an election took place, which Amadi won by 141 votes to 22.

“I stand before you today emboldened by our shared determination for unity and inspired by our collective aspiration for continental solidarity and I declare to you that as president of the Pan African Parliament, I shall speak one language, the language of Pan Africanism. One Africa, One Voice,” he said.