Speaker aspirants reject lobby for special candidate, says Gbajabiamil backs no one

By Christiana Ekpa

Speakership aspirants in the 10th House of Representative have met with the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to express grave concerns over alleged campaign for his choice candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.
The aspirants who spoke during the meeting, according to investigation conducted by our correspondent, vehemently frowned at the information making rounds on the development, which they noted had caused disaffection among the parliamentarians who rallied support for the Speaker before, during and after the keenly contested election as the 9th Assembly Speaker.
When contacted to give details of group photographs made public by the Speaker’s media team on Friday evening, the officers, declined to provide an update on the meeting.
When contacted on the allegation concerning the Speaker’s preference for one of the aspirants, an aspirants, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, member representing Panskhin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, denied reports making the rounds that the Speaker asked them to step down for his preferred candidate.
He said “The Speaker did not call us to ask anybody to step down, as it’s being said.
“One, there are insinuations and accusation that he is supporting one Candidate, that is Tajudeen Abbas.
“He called that meeting first to know how we are campaigning as individuals and whether we have problems among us the Aspirants which we said no, we don’t have any problem.
“Then, some of the Spirants raised an issue that Speaker’s boys are using the Speaker’s name for that Aspirant (Tajudeen Abbas) that the Speaker asked them to campaign for him.
“And it has began to create apprehension and tension.
“So, some people raised that observation for Speaker to call the attention of one of his staff that is parading himself that he’s under the instruction of Mr. Speaker to support one Candidate. That was sorted out.
“Secondly, Speaker emphasized to us that he is a Partyman and being the Speaker, he has never done anti-Party. So, he assured us that any day any time the party zoned, he will be supporting the zone that the party zoned to. This is the only that happened, so anybody that tells you anything outside that, is not true,” Hon. Gagdi, Chairman, House Committee on Navy told Parliamentary Correspondents.
When asked whether there is any communication from the APC leadership on the meeting where the zoning arrangement will be discussed, Hon. Gagdi answered in the negative.
He said: “You can’t have any communication from the party at this time.
“The Party Chairman is out of the country on official assignment with some members of the National Working Committee.
“The President-elect is equally out of the country, everybody knows that the President-elect is in France.
“So, how will the Party sit and agree on zoning if the President-elect who has a major stake in this thing is not considered?”
He also observed that most of the stakeholders are currently in Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj.
Hon. Gagdi however expressed optimism that the meeting on zoning arrangement would take place as soon as the major stakeholders return to Nigeria.
“Who will sit down and talk about zoning when the Chairman is not there; the President-elect is not there, the Vice President-elect is not there; most of the Governors that have stake in zoning are equally not there?”