Ime Akpan
Lawmakers from the North-central geo-political region across all party lines have protested against the zoning of the speaker of the House of Representatives to the south west.
Their protest followed the declaration of the majority leader of the house and All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Surulere I Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position.
Gbajabiamila had, at a gathering at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, yesterday stated that he was vying for the speakership “to bring governance even closer to the people, to mentor the next generation and galvanise honourable members to make life more abundant for every Nigerian.”
“I seek this office with a rich legislative background and pedigree and having just won a historic fifth term mandate to the House. I have in the last 16 years dedicated my life to the service of my constituents and Nigeria. I have studied and understood the intricate workings of the legislature, a critical arm of government and I have come to understand the imperative of striking a delicate balance in the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government without compromising the latter’s independence. Indeed there is an essential need for a symbiotic relationship between all arms and all tiers of government if we are to make progress in nation building.
“In these 16 years I have been a principal officer for 12 years. I have occupied the office of leader of the opposition and successfully my party from opposition to majority in the House and thereafter assumed the position of house leader, placing me in a uniquely advantageous position of understanding the nuances and intricacies of this very critical arm of government and the need for its independence and at the same time interdependence with the executive.”
But the north central legislators frowned at the way the APC was going about the emergence of the leadership of the lower legislative house.
A member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam of Plateau State, Mr. Golu Timothy said the south west agenda may not fly.
He was particularly irked by the statement credited to the national chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole that lawmakers from that political fold should dominate the house, nay, the ninth assembly.
“He is talking rubbish, I am telling you. He is just talking rubbish. None of them is a member of parliament and when the election will take place none of them will be there. They are only talking to impress so that the president will say this man is loyal.
“They are just playing to the gallery. As far as I am concerned, Oshiomhole is playing to the gallery. He doesn’t know what happens in here. They don’t feel forms to do this election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not involved where he can manipulate. It is the members themselves; nobody filled form. So, somebody can wake up that day and contest.”
“This is not federal executive council (FEC) where they have their chamber there. This is the National Assembly where we have gallery. Everybody sits down there and then watch what will happen. It is not FEC where they ask everybody to go out and then they take a decision and it is final. There is no decision that can be taken here. No APC man or party can sack an elected APC senator. People know these things. After their elections, it is the party that will start begging them. It is the presidency that will start begging them. They don’t know how they won the election. It is just under the party.
“Look at what Oshiomhole is saying; that all chairmanship position is going to APC and someone said they want to amend the constitution to make the president life president; all these kinds of things mean that you will have a dummy that will do anything they want. You think the PDP members, most of them who are even more experienced than the APC senators and APC House members would come here and sit under a stooge that will come and determine life presidency! Remember, everything goes the same way; whether it is a bill, whether it is a motion, whether it is to spend money without appropriation, whether it is foreign relations without any law; all these will follow. So they will never allow anything like that, I am telling you. Except the national assembly is not inaugurated and what the president only has to do is that the national assembly is going to be inaugurated on this day. He would not be there! He doesn’t have a vote! The vice president doesn’t have a vote. No minister has a vote. Oshiomhole cannot come close. So why saying this type of thing?”
Similarly, a coalition of the APC youth groups under the umbrella of North-central APC Young Patriots vowed to resist any attempt by the leadership of the party to zone the speakership of the house to the southwest.
Speaking in Abuja at the weekend, the leader of the coalition, Mr. Dominic Alancha said since the party was yet to officially announce the zoning to the southwest, it should not take such decision to avoid a situation in which the anointed candidates of the party lose key leadership positions in the 8th assembly.
He said: “If the party goes ahead to zone the position of the Speaker to the South-west because it wants to foist a particular candidate on lawmakers disregarding popular support and equitable zoning formula, it will be short-changing the North-central of its hard-earned right and this will be resisted by this group.”
“One would expect that since the senate presidency was zoned to the northeast being the zone that contributed the highest number of votes after the northwest (3,238,783), the speakership position will naturally go to the next in line-the north-central zone which produced the second largest vote after the northeast (2,465,599).
“So, why is the party suddenly shifting the goalpost when it comes to zoning the Speakership position by considering the South-west that performed less than the North-central and even already has the number two position of a vice-president? ls this equitable thing to do?”
