Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has urged Peoples Democratic Party members in the House of Representatives to vote for Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker of the House.
Fani-Kayode said “I am glad that Femi Gbajabiamila has emerged as the APC consensus canddiate for Speaker of the House. I urge the PDP members to vote for him.”
On Saturday, Gbajabiamila emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 8th Assembly. He polled 54 votes out of 182 votes to beat Yakubu Dogara in a primary conducted by the All Progressives Congress.
Gbajabiamila still needs 27 more members to get the simple majority of 181 prescribed by the constitution to become the next Speaker. He has expressed satisfaction with the response he got from PDP and other parties.
He said “We also agree that the next speaker of the eighth House of Representatives would emerge on the floor of the House on Tuesday and definitely members across party lines would place merit first because this is the era of change we have been waiting for.
“We are indeed grateful that some of them voluntarily returned back to the hall to be part of the successful election. Just as the party said earlier before the election, no group loyal to any of the aspirants were placed on notice.
“It is important to note that in a publication made in the national dailies on, June 4, two days before the mock election, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, Hon. Aishat Dukku, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba, Hon. Haliru Jika, Hon Nasiru Baballe Ila, and others in the statement emphasised clearly their views on the conduct of the Saturday mock election. The publication is here for your attention.
“It is unfortunate that some members sought intervention of the party before their election into the National Assembly but suddenly realised that the unbiased intervention of the party in the mock election is inappropriate. Definitely these are not agents of change.”
A statement by the Dogora Group eight Assembly Consolidation Group, signed by Hon Abdulmumini Jibrin described the mock election as shameful and fraudulent.
The statement read “The mock election actually showed that APC has made a mockery of itself because we walked out of the venue even before they perpetrated the illegality.
“This is fraudulent, shameful, and dishonest. It was all arranged and done by APC leaders,” he reiterated.
“We want a courageous speaker who is free from the apron strings of a godfather and not one that will create special bedroom in the pocket of an individual.
“After such huge intimidation, blackmail and inducement, we are not surprise that they gave out such number.
“Is this the change we want to offer to Nigerians? Is this the departure from the past that Nigerians wanted?
“We have never seen this kind of manipulation in the political history of Nigeria. We are being intimidated and threatened because we tour the path of honour.
“We have decided that the only place we can also take our case to because of the huge amount of threat and intimidation to some of us, we have decided to write a petition to the president to intervene and call the party leaders to order. We are very confident that the president will look at the matter in a very just manner.”
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