SPEAKERSHIP: 164 APC Reps-elect back Gbajabiamila

The candidacy of Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila for the office of Speaker, House of Representatives, has received a boost as 164 members-elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have thrown their weight him.

According to the members-elect, they would not defy President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC on the choice of the majority leader as the next speaker.

It would be recalled that the leadership of the APC on Tuesday adopted Gbajabiamila as the official candidate of the party. This, however, did not go down well with the North Central zone of the party, as aspirants from the zone vowed to contest for the position.

However, the forum of the newly elected APC members, said in a statement on Tuesday said those who are agitating for the office of Speaker in the North Central are not being sincere.

In the statement signed by its Chairman, Mr Tunji Ojo; and the Director-General, Mr Dunkwu Chamberlain, the forum said the North could not produce both the President of the Senate and Speaker at the same time.

The statement reads: “Every member of the party is a product of the party. The party gave everybody the platform to contest, and apart from giving platform, the party also gave assistant to members before, during and after elections.

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“So, it is expected that as loyal party members, we are supposed to toe the line of the party and now that the party and Mr President have spoken that Gbajabiamila should be supported for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, we expect every party faithful to toe that line and support Gbajabiamila to emerge as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“We believe he has the experience; more experience than other people that are contesting the position. It is not just enough for you to bring out posters. Femi is very qualified, eminently qualified more than any other person.

“The Presidency is zoned to the North, while the Vice President is to the South. Now Senate president has been zoned to the North and speakership to the South. When it comes to the South, we decide where it should go.

“Politics in this country is played along the line of North and South. North-Central is North, North-West is North and North-East is North. So, the speakership has been zoned to South. When we zoned the Presidency to the North, North-West produced the President. So, for those talking about zoning, zoning in this country is done on the basis of  North/South.”

 

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