Gbajabiamlia, APC spokespersons set to tangle over House of Reps speakership

As the battle for the seat of the nest speaker of the House of Representatives for the 9th session gathers momentum, there seem to be a pending battle of wits between one of the anointed candidates for the position, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and the Conference of APC State Publicity Secretaries (CAPS) in the South East, as the group has asked the lawmaker to drop his ambition for the sake of equity.

This is even as the Majority Leader of the House, has officially declared his intention to run for the position of the Speaker of the House when the new session opens.

The CAPS from the South East in a statement signed by its members, including the publicity secretaries of the party in the five South East states, said it was unwise to leave out the South East while sharing positions in the country.

The group members including; Nwoba Chika Nwoba; Ebonyi State, Mrs. Kate Ofo; Enugu, Benedict Godson; Abia State and Okelo Madukaife, Anambra called on Gbajabiamila to continue to be the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

The statement read in part, “We wish to invite Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, an otherwise distinguished and ranking member of the Federal House of Representatives to drop his ambition to be the Speaker for now and continue to serve as Majority Leader, because ‘this house must be built on equity.’

“It is our considered view that the South West Geopolitical zone cannot take the office of Vice President and Speaker, the North East, Senate Presidency and Secretary to the Federal Government, while the South East goes home ‘whipping’ and weeping.

“We think that Gbajabiamila should be part of this solution, sacrificially. We expect a rework of what has been passed to the public domain as ‘APC zoning’, which the National Chairman of our great party gladly says has not been concluded, going by his recent interview on Channels Television.”

The group said even though the party did not perform excellently in the South East in the just concluded elections, it still recorded over 40 percent success, and also succeeded in upping the number of National Assembly members elect, compared to 2015, and as such deserves to lead an arm of the National Assembly.

“It, therefore, stands to reason that a presiding-officer position in the National Assembly will set the balancing tone for inclusiveness. For the avoidance of doubt, the 2019 election into the National Assembly is a different ballot from the presidential polls. Yet the South East recorded 2015-to-2019 improvement in both,” the group said.

However, declaring his intention to contest the position in Abuja yesterday, Gbajabiamila made his declaration in Abuja Sunday afternoon, tagged ‘Nation building, a joint task,’ he told a gathering of lawmakers, journalists and well-wishers, that he sought the office to bring government closer to the people.

Gbajabiamila, flanked by about 50 members-elect while he read his speech, said he would work to serve the people if elected.

“I seek the office of the Speaker to bring our tendencies together and unite us as a country. I seek the office of the Speaker to bring governance even closer to the people. I seek the office of the Speaker to mentor the next generation.

I seek the office of the Speaker so I can use the bully pulpit to galvanise Honourable members to make life more abundant for every Nigerian irrespective of tribe, religious background or political persuasion.

“There is so much work to be done by way of legislation in many areas of our life including but not limited to education, health, power, infrastructure and alleviation of poverty. I believe many of these deficits can be addressed through meaningful and impactful legislation.

“Historically the House of Representatives was established to be the people’s House and for the people‘s business.

It follows therefore that the Speaker must be the people’s Speaker elected to do the people‘s business and champion their cause and in doing so fulfilling their hopes and aspiration.

This is the Speaker I intend and hope to be and the House I intend and hope to lead (as) a People‘s House,” he said.

The lawmaker, who was re-elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to represent Surulere 1 constituency of Lagos State, boasted of his long years of experience in the House as an advantage.

Gbajabiamila was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and has won re-election four times after.

In 2015, he contested to become the Speaker of the house. He lost to the incumbent speaker, Yakubu Dogara, he was, however, elected by his APC colleagues as House Leader.

He said the last four years has afforded him the opportunity to study and take note of important areas for action.

“I have spent the last four years in doing my best to stabilise the House, whilst exploring and studying how best legislators can unleash the full potentials of this country.

I have taken copious mental and physical notes and its time for implementation,” he said.