Committee appointments lure lawmakers into peace moves

The acrimony among federal lawmakers over the emergence of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara may soon be put to rest as the legislature moves to appoint members into different committees.

Vanguard reports that antagonists of the new leadership of the National Assembly have commenced peace moves with some now eyeing juicy committee positions. The peace moves nonetheless, the two major political parties were unceasing in their own acrimony.

The PDP, on Thursday warned the ruling APC, not to intimidate or harass the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the National Assembly Service Commission for performing their statutory functions during the inauguration of the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, the threat of sanctions against Senator Saraki and Speaker Dogara pledged by the APC was as at Thursday, yet to be communicated to the two men or their leading associates, though the waiting said it would follow due process in meting out the punishment to both men.

Sources said that a number of APC senators who had expressed opposition to the emergence of Senator Saraki have now started making peace and coming over to pledge allegiance to Saraki.

“I cannot believe what these politicians can do for committee positions,” a source privy to the development said.

“See the way they are betraying Senator Ahmad Lawan because they want juicy committees,” he said in reference to the entreaties from some former supporters of Senator Lawan who have reportedly sought accommodation in the camp of Senator Saraki.

Also in the House of Representatives, several state caucuses including legislators from Kano and Jigawa, who were in the front of the battle to stop the emergence of Dogara as speaker, came to make peace yesterday.

Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, the official candidate of the APC who lost to Dogara in the leadership contest also pledged his allegiance to the new speaker of the House of Representatives.

Speaking Thursday, when he led about 20 supporters of his aspiration to the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Gbajabiamila said they have accepted defeat.

He also overruled any legal action against the Dogara.

He said: “We have just gone through an election in the House, so we came to meet with the party regarding the election and how the party is going to remain strong and united and move forward so that we can deliver the deliverables and programmes of the party through the House.

“Go to court for what? I don’t know about the Senate. I can only speak for the House. Nothing happened in the House. We had an election. It is different from the Senate. In the Senate, people were deprived of their fundamental rights to express themselves and vote”, he said.

 

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