A group acting under the aegis of Arewa Youth Awareness Forum (AYAF) has warned House of Reps members-elect from the North against electing House Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC – Lagos) as Speaker in the Ninth Assembly.
In a Monday statement, the group said that those backing Gbajabiamila’s candidature were doing so because of calculations for 2023 presidency, saying that such calculations were not in the interest of the North.
The group said it was disturbed that a particular godfather would be in control of the vice president, party chairman, House of Reps Speaker, Senate President and equally have loyalists in sensitive agencies such as FIRS and NNPC.
The statement read in part, “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”.