The Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday met with Speaker Yakubu Dogara behind closed door to seek his intervention from the aggrieved lawmakers who were said to be plotting for his removal as the leader of the House.
It will be recalled that the House has been in turmoil since the inauguration of the 96 House Committees. Lawmakers loyal to Gbajabiamila felt short-changed in the scheme of things
The meeting which is coming after the group loyal to the Majority Leader had in a press conference on Monday labelled the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara an “agent provocateur of destabilization.”
This, it was gathered, however angered the Chief Whip of the House, Rep Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC Kano), who summoned a caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress members to discuss the matter.
Answering questions from journalists after the meeting, Rep Alhassan Ado- Doguwa denied plotting to unseat the House leader, saying the meeting was to address the ongoing misunderstanding amongst the APC members in the House.
“You are all aware of what happened yesterday, where the Honourable Speaker invited and chair a special session of the House of Representatives to inaugurate the standing committees.
“I want to tell you on behalf of the leadership, that the leadership has no crack as far as am concern, as am talking to you honourable Dogara and the leader of the House are in the same room, the office of the Speaker discussing, trying to see how we can moved ahead, “he said.
According to him, Nigerians are tired of waiting, emphasising that they were elected to work as members of the House of Representatives.
Commenting on Gbajabiamila, he said, “Femi as leader is also on status-quo, we have maintained status-quo for now, and Femi is our leader in the House of Representatives.
“There is no two way about unity, this party was founded on the basis of unity and the House of Representatives as it is today is very much poised and ready to work with President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver the change mantra we have promised Nigerians,” Doguwa told journalists.
Also speaking, Rep Mustapha Bala Dawaki Tuesday said the attitude of lawmakers perceived to be Rep Femi Gbajabiamila loyalists are uncalled for, saying the primary responsibility of any lawmaker in the 8th Assembly is to adequately represent his constituency not committee chairmanship”.
The lawmakers in the Gbajabiamila group had met on Monday at the All Progressives Congress, APC, national secretariat where they declared that the newly inaugurated 97 substantive committees should be disbanded.
But Dawaki who represents Dawakin Kudu/Warawa, APC, Kano described the move in bad taste saying, “no lawmaker was elected by his people to come here to fight for committee chairmanship or the so called elusive juicy committees”.
On whether it’s true that there was plan to unseat the incumbent Majority Leader, Dawaki said “we never at any time arrived at such a consensus to remove the leader”.
On the lawmakers that fought over the committee list, he said “we have the Ethics and Privileges committee and House standing rules that handles disciplinary measures”.
“They will meet and send their recommendations to us for consideration”.