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The President noted that the election of Bankole was "free, fair and an open expression of the will of the vast majority of members of the House of Representatives."
He urged the new Speaker to immediately begin the process of healing the wounds of the House crisis to enable the chamber settle down to its duty of providing legislative backing for the implementation of the present administration's seven-point agenda.
Special Adviser to the President (Communications), Olusegun Adeniyi, said in a statement on Thursday night that Yar'Adua had already telephoned Bankole from Germany to personally congratulate the new Speaker.
He added that the President believes that the transparent process through which the new Speaker emerged demonstrates very clearly that democracy, anchored on due process and the rule of law, is gradually taking root in our country.
He hopes that Speaker Bankole will, in collaboration with other new principal officers of the House, move quickly to heal the wounds of the recent crisis in the House and build a broad consensus amongst its members to now settle down to the huge task of providing the legislative backing for the implementation of the present administration's seven-point agenda.
President Yar'Adua particularly notes that with his relative youthfulness, the new Speaker bears the additional burden of proving that his generation has truly come of age and can give worthy leadership at the highest levels of national governance.
The President prays that God Almighty will give Speaker Bankole the wisdom and courage he will need to successfully lead the House of Representatives for the good of all Nigerians.
And, in spite of the rejection of its candidate for the position, the National Working Committee of the PDP congratulated Bankole and his new Deputy, Usman Bayero Nafada, on their election.
The party urged the new leaders to immediately embark on the reconciliation of the chamber's members and pay due attention to the enormous legislative duties that had been pending since the outbreak of the recent crisis.
The party praised the lawmakers for the peaceful and democratic way that the election of the two officers was conducted and expressed hope that the bitter divisions that characterised proceedings in the House recently would be put behind them.
The party said the successful election of Hon. Bankole and Nafada following established rules of the House is yet another vindication of the party's insistence on due process.
The PDP wishes the Speaker and his deputy a peaceful tenure and urges them to co-operate with other arms of government to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people.
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