01062019 - APC lawmakers move against party

2 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, 2019
Senate Presidency, Speakership: APC lawmakers
move against party
*Say imposition’ll work against party
* Gbajabiamila is Buhari’s project, not Tinubu’s —El-Rufai
By Emman
Ovuakporie
SATURDAY Vanguard
has reliably gathered
that some All Progressives
Congress, APC, Senators,
and members of the House
Representatives have concluded
plans to work
against the party’s candidates
for the positions of
the Senate President and
Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
The move which had
been at its teething stage
before now was said to
have been emboldened by
the party’s loss in Zamfara
State and the recent
validation of the victory of
Senator Peter Nwoboshi.
The twin developments
which increased the number
of Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, lawmakers in
both houses of the National
Assembly, NASS, were
said to have provided the
numeric strength required
to carry out the
plan.
Accordingly, the number
of PDP Senators increased
to 51, while its
members in the House of
Representatives increased
to 129 from 121.
Notwithstanding, Saturday
Vanguard learned
that the primary reason
behind the move against
the preferred choices, Sen
Ahamed Lawan, and Mr.
Femi Gbajabiamila was
borne out of the desire for
a NASS that would be free
from interference by the
executive.
Multiple sources, who
revealed these, said some
of the APC lawmakers in
both houses have commenced
demarketing the
party’s preferred choices
on the suspicions that
they would end up as
stooges.
A ranking Senator, who
pleaded anonymity, noted
that his camp has resolved
for a competitive contest to
allow members to elect the
presiding officers of their
choice.
Another source said
Senators are reaching out
to members of the House
of Representatives from
their states, asking them
to work with a different
candidate for the position
of Speaker.
His words: “Although,
our major concern is the
independence of the National
Assembly, we are
being made to understand
that if imposition is allowed,
our party could
become the biggest loser.
“In politics, it is better
to win some and lose
some, rather than lose all
in an attempt to win all as
it was in 2015 when our
party and its government
at the centre paid dearly
for it.”
Another source in the
House also told Saturday
Vanguard that Gbajabiamila
is underestimating the
influence some outgoing
members wield over their
incoming successors.
The situation, he said,
is making some of them
work against Gbajabiamila’s
ambition.
He cited an example of
an incident involving a
newly elected member
whose trip to Umrah (lesser
Hajj) in Saudi Arabia
was allegedly sponsored
by Gbajabiamila with a
view to gain his support
while his outgoing predecessor
was ignored.
He said the outgoing
lawmaker was also not
hinted by Gbajabiamila of
his speakership ambition
which is why he is working
against it.
“The new lawmaker
whom Gbajabiamila sponsored
to Saudi Arabia is
back in the country, and
today, he, alongside his
predecessor held a meeting
with their Senator
where it was agreed that
there’s a new direction to
follow,” the source disclosed.
It was also gathered that
as a result of these developments,
pro-Umaru Bago
members have reportedly
moved in to consolidate
their support base with
certain incentives and
promises to colleagues
and friendly Senators.
Another factor said to be
working against the party
and its preferred candidates,
a source said, is its
lukewarm attitude towards
state governors,
who worked against its
interest in the just concluded
general election, a
situation which led to the
loss of many states to the
opposition.
“Since the party could
not speak with one voice
at the polls to consolidate
its hold on power from
2015, it shouldn’t impose
NASS leadership on members
as against section
50(1)(b) of the 1999 constitution.
“Members shall elect
from amongst themselves
presiding officers in the
...Gbajabiamila is Buhari’s project, not Tinubu’s — El-Rufai
MEANWHILE, Gov
ernor of Kaduna
State, Nasir el-Rufai has
vowed to lobby Reps-elect
to vote for Femi Gbajabiamila
in the Speakership race
in the ninth House of Representatives.
El-Rufai, who disclosed
this while receiving 121
members-elect, who were
on consultation tour of
Northwest yesterday at the
Government House chamber
in Kaduna said the
President also convinced
Idris Wase to drop his
Speakership ambition for
Gbajabiamila.
He said people might
not know but Gbajabiamila
was not the Asiwaju
Ahmed Tinubu’s projects
but President Buhari’s.
He said he would ensure
that the project came
to fruition with no contest
on 11th June by convincing
fellow governors,
members of the National
Assembly as well as Umaru
Bago who is also contesting
for the same position.
El -Rufai said: “It’s a
misconception that Gbajabiamila
is Asiwaju’s
project, no because it was
President Buhari himself
that has always observed
Femi in the House.
“Even before he became
Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (right) with the Chairman, Enugu State Council of
Traditional Rulers, HRH, Igwe Amb. Lawrence Agubuzu (middle) and the Vice Chairman, Enugu North
Senatorial District, HRH Igwe R.S.N Ezeh, during a town hall meeting with all registered traditional
rulers in the state, yesterday.
President, he read newspapers
and watched television
and he followed
Gbajabiamila, his dedication
and contributions on
the floor and he said this
time around I want Femi.
“I’m sure Asiwaju is
happy but this is not his
project, he is not the one
that zeroed in on him.
“The President told me
himself and when I asked
him about Gbajabiamila,
he told me his reasons.
“At Governor’s Forum,
people raised voices but I
told them that as governors,
we sometimes impose,
I am not a hypocrite.
“So I say to them, don’t
let us condemn the President
for picking people he
feels comfortable working
with.
“I don’t care who the
President wants to work
with but in my State I am
very interested.
“So, I told the President
he has to be involved in
this project and I said if
he allows me I’ll talk to
people and get involved
and I demand he gets you
involved too”.
He said, having made
up his mind to support
the President’s wish, he
discovered his first barrier
to the Idris Wase, who
was also contesting for the
same position
“The first obstacle I have
to face was that Wase is
the biggest threat, so I
reached out to him and
took him to the President.
“The President told him
he has already decided
on Femi and he gave his
reasons.
“Wase replied though
he was sure he has a big
chance of winning but as
his elder and President,
the President’s request is
done.
“I reached out to my fellow
Governors and I’m
talking to Bago as well
and by the grave of God
by 11th of June there
won’t be any contest. We
will do our best.
“I have also told my
elected colleagues in Kaduna
state that this is Buhari’s
State, and we will
do 100 percent what he
wants.
“We supported Femi In
2015, only one did not
vote for Femi and my
members suffered for
their party loyalty in 2015
by not getting anything
tangible in the House despite
some of them being
ranking members.
“I assure you that not
only I and other governors
will work on this
project to the end.
On his comment on
god-fatherism, the governor
said it was directed at
Asiwaju Tinubu, adding
that what I said was that
he has a template that was
used to retire some politicians
in Kaduna State.
“That was not an attack
on Asiwaju, it was a generic
statement, but the
whole thing took a media
frenzy because to some
people Asiwaju is a meal
ticket.
“Let me tell you, because
of that, some people
started confessing to
me that Asiwaju should
be dealt with.
“They said Asiwaju
wants to finish you, he has
been abusing you, we
should finish him by finishing
his man, Femi.
“But I told them that this
is not about Asiwaju but
President Buhari and I
will fight it with the last
drop of my blood. I told
them to change their
mind.
“I went to Asiwaju and
told him that we would do
what we can to make this
project a success”.
He however urged Gbajabiamila
and Wase not to
be drawn into ethno-religeous
controversy, saying,
mold of Senate president
and Speaker respectively
provided they possess
cognate legislative experience.
“If this portion of our
constitution is not put into
consideration it may
smirk doom again for the
party, ‘’ the source added.
“Please do not allow people
to draw you into religion
or ethinc controversy”.
Earlier, Gbajabiamila,
who said the visit was strategic
because the governor
has been workiong for the
project adding that the team
is rainbow coalition of several
parties which is the vision
associated with nation
building.
He said he had been
close to el Rufai and “we
have come a long way”.
“His Excellency had to fly
to Lagos to launch a book
for me during my 50th birthday.
“When governor Fashola
was leaving, he also
made a case for me to the
powers that be for me to be
the governor after Fashola.
“It is our intention to take
the legislature to the next
level,” he told the governor.
On his part, the Director
General (DG) of Gbajabiamila/Wase
Campaign organisation,
Abdulmumin
Jibrin told the governor that
the team was capable of
bringing the needed reform
to the National Assembly,
while reiterating that they
were open to negotiation
from other contestants.
Please, use your clout to
convince Bago,” he pleaded.