Speakership Tussle: You can disagree with your party just like family members disagree - Gbajabiamila

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that the G7 members can will disagree with their party just, like people will disagree amongst family members, even as he said that the party is an organised structure at the end.

He equally went down memory lane, to the politics of the speakership of the House in 2011, and said he regretted supporting one of his predecessors and outgoing Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, to emerge then speaker.

Gbajabiamila said his decision to support the candidacy of Tajudeen Abbas was to build on legislative gains so far recorded by his administration.

The Speaker, who disclosed these when he attended a meeting of the aspirants with some opposition members at the instance of Joint Task – 10th Assembly, group of members-elect from across the eight political parties that won seats in the incoming House, said Abbas was a man with capacity to lead the legislature. He said he was also a loyal partyman, who would never go against the decision of the party, and that his decision did not translate to hatred for other aspirants.

The Speaker told the meeting, “I stand before you here as a testament of what party loyalty and consistency can do in your life. I have a story to tell and I am sure everybody has one story or the other to tell. My story may not be unique. I came here on the platform of a party.

“We don’t have independent candidacy in Nigeria. It’s not in our constitution or laws. Perhaps, one day, we will get to that point. But my core belief is that if you come here on the platform of a party, there is a saying all over the world that your party is always supreme.

“You will disagree with your party just, like people will disagree amongst family members, but at the end of the day, the party is an organised structure. Let no one kid you. I am here to offer advice. I have been the pioneer leader of what they call the House project, when we installed Tambuwal as speaker. I regret it.

“The incoming speaker will tell more of the travails and the problems we went through for four years, when we did that the first and the second time. And I want you to hold that and start comparison to what the last four years have been. Now, when you look at those two sessions and the last one that is just rounding off, you have the benefit of being able to compare and then, you take an informed decision.

“Not when somebody comes and tells you no, no, the independence of the legislature cannot be compromised, that’s hogwash. Nobody is compromising the Independence of the legislature. The least person that will do it is me. But the fact that your party says this is where we are going, it doesn’t mean you are compromising the independence of the legislature.

“Many of us are new here. People will talk to you. They will cajole you, say all sorts of things in flowery and romantic language but at the end of the day, we have to be mindful of one thing. The party we represent has its leaders. The governors from the states, whether we like it or not, are very powerful. You can do your own personal bidding today. I share these things just to advise from my own experience.

Speakership Battle: Nasarawa Reps backs Betara, ask APC to rescind decision on consensus

By Christiana Ekpa

Rep. Abubakar Nalaraba (APC-Nasarawa) has thrown his weight behind the aspiration of Rep. Aliyu Betara (APC-Borno) one of the Frontline aspirants for the 10th National Assembly Speaker.

Nalaraba, said this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday against the backdrop of the consensus candidate of the APC for Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

He said the 10th National Assembly needed a leader that would stabilise the House with deep knowledge of the working of the green chamber.

He said Betara, a fifth term lawmaker from Borno pissed the requirements, adding that he helped the current Speaker, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila to stabilise the house.

According to him, this is the first time a the Speaker of the House will govern without any threat of impeachment, this is courtesy of Betara.

He said, Betara out of his desired to make the House peaceful, coopted 100 additional members to his 38 member Committee on Appropriation.

He further said this made the total number 138, adding that this alone demonstrated good sign of leadership and this was what made everybody to be committed to the leadership of the house.

“Some members who were not in any Committees were coopted to the Appropriation committee and they all got some project inclusion in the appropriation to their constituencies and they were happy with him, “ he said.

He described Betara as a man of the people with a listening ear, gentle and kind, adding that the single act of Betara in the 9th assembly brought relative peace.

“You can’t pin point a single member that has grudges with Betara, even his enemies knows that he is a good man and we need such to be the speaker of the 10th Assembly.

He condmned the endorsement of Rep. Tajudeen Abbas and Rep. Benjamin Kalu as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker for the 10th Assembly by the APC.

He said the endorsement was done without consulting other aspirants and without taking into cognisance the politics of national assembly, which he said differed from the politics of Nigeria.

“You cannot throw up a candidate at the detriment of other candidates, the APC told the aspirants during our retreat at the villa to continue their consultations.

“And while this was going on the party said a particular candidate has been chosen as consensus,” he said.

He said their preferred candidate was unknown and had never integrated smoothly with members, while urging the party to review its decision and allowed members-elect to choose freely.