.......Lawmakers to adopt secret ballot to frustrate Tinubu

By Lanre Adewole


LARGELY excoriated for his alleged lack of acceptable human relations, the ambition of the House of Representatives speakership hopeful, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, may be deeply under the waters, judging by feelers from his colleagues in the South-West and particularly in Lagos State, where he hails.

Representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency, the lawmaker, who is the current Majority Leader of the Lower chamber, is believed to be the anointed of Senator Bola Tinubu, his political godfather and the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the party with the majority in the chamber.

Tinubu pushed him for the same seat in 2015, but the fourth-term lawmaker, lost to the incumbent Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003.

Sunday Tribune gathered from APC inner circle Saturday night that Tinubu had been having a hard time selling the speakership candidature of Gbajabiamila to many Reps-elect from Lagos, who are expected to help in pulling their colleagues, both of APC and of other opposition parties, from the South-West, into the agenda.

Apparently aware of the poorly-guarded animosity towards the Gbaja agenda from many of the elected lawmakers from Lagos and the unfavourable feelers from the rest of the South-Western states, the unveiled threat of expulsion made by Tinubu on Friday, was said to be largely meant to douse the growing mutiny at home.

Speaking at an event of Friday, Tinubu vowed that elected parliamentarians from APC, who refused to vote those picked by the party for the Senate presidency and House of Representatives speakership, would be sent packing from the party.

The statement had generated a lot of negative reactions across political divides, with many describing it as unguarded, with the potential to hurt the Gbaja agenda.

Senators and House of Representatives of the PDP hue voted against Tinubu’s candidates for the two top jobs in the National Assembly in 2015 and feelers from the present crop of the minority party parliamentarians suggest a possible repeat, though the leading opposition party is also rumoured to be considering fielding candidates for the two major seats.

The national leadership of the party is, however, yet to make an official statement on how the party lawmakers would likely vote on the day of the inauguration of the Ninth assembly.

A senior APC member in Lagos told Sunday Tribune that the personality of Tinubu’s choice was more of the problem and not whether South-West should have the speaker’s slot, despite having the VP slot, currently filled by Pastor Yemi Osinbajo.

“Gbaja o niwa (Femi Gbajabiamila is not of qualitative personality),” the senior party member told Sunday Tribune, adding that “this (pushing his candidacy through) will be difficult. Even our people (Lagos Reps-elect) are not buying into the agenda.

“Everybody knows he can’t relate well, so how is this (his speakership agenda) going to be possible? Our people (Lagos Reps-elect) are already shifting loyalty to (Ahmed Idris) Wase, the fellow from Plateau (State),” he said.

It was learnt that in order to mask their preference, majority of the elected lawmakers from Lagos and South-West at large would likely join forces with lawmakers from other geo-political zones, who are also seeking to disobey the party’s position on the two seats, to demand secret balloting in electing the next speaker.


In 2015, secret balloting was also adopted, with Dogara dusting Gbajabiamila.

Tambuwal received INEC certificate of return as 16 APC members elect boycott
The party is yet to make a formal pronouncement on the zone to produce the speaker and the lawmaker being chosen to have it.

The national leadership of the party had claimed it was doing personality zoning by locking definite names, to available parliamentary top positions.

Considering the chummy working relationship between Tinubu and the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, the position is expected to be zoned to the South-West and Gbajabiamila, in particular.

Wase has been representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State since 2007.


He is a Muslim like Gbajabiamila.

The religious factor may work against Wase, among those pushing for a speaker from the North-Central, who expected a Christian like Dogara, to emerge as a balance to the power equation.

Except Orji Uzor Kalu, who threatened to join the senate presidency race if not given the deputy senate president slot, the remaining top contenders for the number three seat are Muslims, with one of them expected to emerge.

Senator Ahmed Lawan is the party’s choice.

https://www.tribuneonlineng.com/199828/

Gbajabiamila is no doubt a brilliant man, a very good orator and a proven technocrat, but I find it very funny and surprising why would this brilliant Femi choose to become one of Tinubu's puppies.

He's a force to be reckoned with without the influence of the drug lord.

Even though he's with the APC, he's one politician I admire so much.

:

Lol

They are trying so hard in relegating Gbajamiamila on media. It is all exercise in futility .

We know those who do not want SW hold any positions apart from the vp. They are the same clamouring for Northern candidacy in 2023.

You shall all be disgraced

The problem is not picking from southwest what I can deduce from all these is that gbajabiamilla is an egocentric preek

Good decision and Dogara's influence should not be discarded.
Oya naptu2 say something too

Democracy

Wailers it is time to Wail

If only this news is true, that will begin there total downfall that'll be worse off than the previous one.

Alas a false news, scripted to allow ipob touts to self-service on

APC is the most immature party in the world.


The only thing holding them together is Buhari. When he is gone by 2023, then APC will know what hit them

[s]

helinues:
Lol

They are trying so hard in relegating Gbajamiamila on media. It is all exercise in futility .

We know those who do not want SW hold any positions apart from the vp. They are the same clamouring for Northern candidacy in 2023.

You shall all be disgraced

[/s]
always feeling inferior
you clearly saw SW reps
now you're lumping igbos in it

what a crying shame

helinues:
Lol

They are trying so hard in relegating Gbajamiamila on media. It is all exercise in futility .

We know those who do not want SW hold any positions apart from the vp. They are the same clamouring for Northern candidacy in 2023.

You shall all be disgraced

When u nd ur pple supported Buhari instead of ur brother from the south in 2015 didn't u know the law of karma? Any party that brings out a northerner in 2023 will be voted massively by south south nd south east. Ofcos u know that the north won't leave their man to support a Yoruba coward. The cycle will continue even till after 2023 till u pple get sense.

RemiTinubu:
[s][/s]
always feeling inferior
you clearly saw SW reps
now you're lumping igbos in it

what a crying shame

nawa for them o

This is becoming more interesting.....


APC is a party divided among themselves...


Yeye dey smell.

SyrusdeHansome:


When u nd ur pple supported Buhari instead of ur brother from the south in 2015 didn't u know the law of karma? Any party that brings out a northerner in 2023 will be voted massively by south south nd south east. Ofcos u know that the north won't leave their man to support a Yoruba coward. The cycle will continue even till after 2023 till u pple get sense.

I've been to the north, if APC brings osibanjo, PDP don't even needs to campaign there. Just tell the local that APC presidential candidate is a pastor and a "kafir"

Is PDP is thinking at all? they should rally round Gbajabiamila and vote him in as payback for the Mulikat Akande coup that Tinubu coordinated with Tambumal, this will surely pitch a lot of APC faithfuls against Tinubu. The PDP will gain from that in 4 yrs time

RemiTinubu:
[s][/s]
always feeling inferior
you clearly saw SW reps
now you're lumping igbos in it

what a crying shame

shut ur mouth, u are the one inferior here, because I dont see the reason why u will bearing "Remi Tinubu" as if their is no chukwudi again. Nonsense and ibo.

Nobody likes the Gbajamiala abi bambiala

好的

SyrusdeHansome:


When u nd ur pple supported Buhari instead of ur brother from the south in 2015 didn't u know the law of karma? Any party that brings out a northerner in 2023 will be voted massively by south south nd south east. Ofcos u know that the north won't leave their man to support a Yoruba coward. The cycle will continue even till after 2023 till u pple get sense.

lolz, we are use to ur failed prediction, u said more than this in Feb. pained losers. Abiola won against Tofa in 1993 in d so called north. so shut up.

SyrusdeHansome:


When u nd ur pple supported Buhari instead of ur brother from the south in 2015 didn't u know the law of karma? Any party that brings out a northerner in 2023 will be voted massively by south south nd south east. Ofcos u know that the north won't leave their man to support a Yoruba coward. The cycle will continue even till after 2023 till u pple get sense.

And where were you guys when SW supported GEJ in 2011?

RemiTinubu:
[s][/s]
always feeling inferior
you clearly saw SW reps
now you're lumping igbos in it

what a crying shame

Where did I mention Igbos? Guilty conscience

helinues:
Lol

They are trying so hard in relegating Gbajamiamila on media. It is all exercise in futility .

We know those who do not want SW hold any positions apart from the vp. They are the same clamouring for Northern candidacy in 2023.

You shall all be disgraced

You already know there is now how the speaker would emerge from the SW having already produced the VP

PaChukwudi44:

You already know there is now how the speaker would emerge from the SW having already produced the VP

I dont care where Speakership comes from, but attacking Gbajabiamila up and down is a waste of time

RemiTinubu:
[s][/s]
always feeling inferior
you clearly saw SW reps
now you're lumping igbos in it

what a crying shame

Osu

I do not care if Femi Gbajabiamila gets the Speakership.

All I know is that if Senate President goes to the North, the Speakership must come to the South.

The SouthWest already have the Vice-Presidency just as the NorthWest have the Presidency. If the other regions in the north are to produce the Senate President, the other regions of the South should produce the Speakership.

For the South, I would nominate the SouthSouth for this office, because the people of that region do not see the APC party as a mortal enemy, and have more elected federal legislators under the party after the SouthWest.