Notable aspirants for the position of the Speaker of the 10th session of the House of Representatives on Thursday met with the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to express grave concerns over alleged campaign for his choice candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna.
The Speaker who announced the meeting on his Twitter handle: @femigbaja said that he believes each of the nine aspirants at the meeting has the capacity to lead the House and build on the legacies of the 9th Assembly.
Those who attended the meeting are: Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Aliyu Mukhtar Betara, Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Kalu and Chairman, House Committee in Land Transport, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
Others include: Chairman, House Committee on Disaster Preparedness, Hon. Abdulraheem Olawuyi, Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli Jibia, Hon. Abubakar Makki Yalleman and Hon. Sani Jaji, as well as the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Peter Akpatason.
He said; ‘Yesterday (Thursday), I met with aspirants for the office of the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the coming 10th Assembly. All 9 aspirants I have known and worked with for many years and I have no doubt will do well in continuing and building on the legacy of the 9th Assembly.”
The aspirants who spoke during the meeting, according to investigation conducted by Parliamentary Correspondents vehemently frowned at the information making rounds on the development, which they noted had caused disaffection among the Parliamentarians who rallied support for the Speaker before, during and after the keenly contested election as the 9th Assembly Speaker.
When contacted to give details of group photographs made public by the Speaker’s Media Team on Friday evening, the officers who declined to provide update on the meeting.
When contacted on the allegation bothering on the Speaker’s preference for one of the Aspirants, one of the aspirants, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, member representing Panskhin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State denied reports making round that the Speaker asked them to step down for his preferred candidate.
“The Speaker did not call us to ask anybody to step down, as it’s being said.
“One, there are insinuations and accusations that he is supporting one Candidate, that is Tajudeen Abbas.
“He called that meeting first to know how we are campaigning as individuals and whether we have problems among us the Aspirants which we said no, we don’t have any problem.
“Then, some of the aspirants raised an issue that Speaker’s boys are using the Speaker’s name for that Aspirant (Tajudeen Abbas) that the Speaker asked them to campaign for him.
“And it has begun to create apprehension and tension.
“So, some people raised that observation for Speaker to call the attention of one of his staff that is parading himself that he’s under the instruction of Mr. Speaker to support one Candidate. That was sorted out.
“Secondly, Speaker emphasized to us that he is a Partyman and being the Speaker, he has never done anti-Party. So, he assured us that any day any time the party zoned, he will be supporting the zone that the party zoned to. This is the only that happened, so anybody that tells you anything outside that, is not true,” Hon. Gagdi, Chairman, House Committee on Navy told Parliamentary Correspondents.
When asked whether there is any communication from the APC leadership on the meeting where the zoning arrangement will be discussed, Hon. Gagdi answered in the negative.
He said: “You can’t have any communication from the party at this time.
“The Party Chairman is out of the country on official assignment with some members of the National Working Committee.
“The President-elect is equally out of the country, everybody knows that the President-elect is in France.
“So, how will the Party sit and agree on zoning if the President-elect who has a major stake in this thing is not considered?”
He also observed that most of the stakeholders are currently in Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj.
Hon. Gagdi however expressed optimism that the meeting on zoning arrangements would take place as soon as the major stakeholders return to Nigeria.
“Who will sit down and talk about zoning when the Chairman is not there; the President-elect is not there, the Vice President-elect is not there; most of the Governors that have stake in zoning are equally not there?”
Another lawmaker who spoke under condition of anonymity described the closed-door meeting as reconciliatory meeting aimed at ensuring that the Aspirants work in harmony for the common good of the House and the APC.
He said: “I think the meeting was to forge the way forward and to find a way of avoiding a rancour-free campaign for them and to avoid things that can impede the integrity of the House.”
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