Arewa group tells northern Reps that electing Gbajabiamila is against the region’s interest

The Arewa Youth Awareness Forum has echoed an early warning to northern legislators that electing Femi Gbajabiamila as speaker of the House of Representatives amounts to jeopardising the interest of the region.

Gbajabiamila was endorsed by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari for Speaker of the House in the Ninth Assembly.

In a statement issued in Kaduna, the group said that those promoting the candidacy of Gbajabiamila are doing so because of the calculations for 2023 presidential election.

It nonetheless stated that it is not trying to drum support for any party or candidate but rather trying to protect the interest of the north.

The statement read: “Again, we repeat that Gbaja is not the best option for Arewa future interest or that of the Buhari Presidency; it remains very risky for President Buhari, the North and the entire federation when one godfather is remotely in control of offices of the Vice President, ruling party chairman, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, especially when his loyalists remain on the board of FIRS, NNPC and other sensitive places.

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“While we are not drumming support for any political party or candidate, we note the overboard jubilation that mere political statements of ‘support’ has spurred for the Gbaja project but we passionately urge all northern governors and members of the House representing various northern states to tread very carefully on Hon Gbajabiamila’s candidature.

“It is indeed, a tragedy when those who pretentiously profess progressive ideology and populist democracy only remain hell-bent in following the opposite direction and the nasty experiences of people like Governor Ambode. A cabal in Lagos contemplated impeaching Ambode and then resorted to sitting on his budget proposals – a great lesson that anyone who loves democracy and President Muhammadu Buhari should bear in mind!

“Certainly, half-hearted denials of a 2023 agenda and the strong likelihood of putting Buhari under circumstances similar to Governor Ambode’s later lameduck travails must be seriously and cautiously considered by all our federal legislators”.

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