Reps Members-elect Kick Against Imposition Of Speaker, Deputy By Gbajabiamila
Following reports of alleged secret adoption of one of the aspirants for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Members-elect for the 10th National Assembly have vowed that none of them as parliamentarians will subscribe for anything short of what the Constitution stipulates on Independence of the Legislature.
This was as a political pressure group on the aegis of ‘Democrats Alliance for Good Governance (DAGG)’, has condemned in strong terms the move to impose a leadership on the 10th House by the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The members-elect unequivocally rejected the purported ‘secret adoption’ which was believed to have been agreed upon and sealed by Gbajabiamila on Friday night.
DAGG stressed that men of goodwill and conscience and elected public office holders cannot afford to fold out hands to allow someone who is alleged to have been pencilled down as Chief of Staff to the President-elect even though a member-elect in the 10th Assembly, to arrogantly and recklessly feel he can impose any candidate on the people’s parliament.
The members-elect pointedly described the move by the Gbajabiamila and his team as undemocratic affront on the parliamentarians and the National Assembly as an Institution.
National Coordinator of the Coalition, Dr Williams Martins, they were jolted and betrayed, especially when they got the hint that the preferred aspirant was taken by hand to be introduced to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Martins, in a statement made available to Forefront News stressed that the unfortunate development was not only demeaning, but degrading and absurd for the calibre of Nigerians elected by over 50 million electorates who voted during the February 25 and Supplementary elections.
In his words; “To allow such means, they (Members-elect) are unfit for the task of representation and will definitely fail in holding the Executive Arm of Government to account when the need arises within the span of four years of the 10th Assembly”.
Martins therefore, warned against any action that may frustrate a united 10th Assembly and tenets of democracy, adding that all all the actors in the Nigerian projects should be seen as honourable men and women who honour gentlemen discussion and reciprocate same at all times.
He further said; “Rather than doing this, we wish to state unequivocally that none of us as parliamentarians will subscribe for anything short of what the Constitution stipulates on Independence of the Legislature.
“Some of the Aspirants met with the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to express our grouse about the unhealthy and unparliamentary actions and inactions of adopting his stooge. As if they were taken for a ride, the Convener of the meeting denied the allegation of adopting our colleague, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna State and Hon. Benjamin Kalu from Abia State as the Deputy Speaker,” Martins said.
The group therefore called on President-elect and outgoing Speaker Gbajabiamila to desist from any act that could bring their names into disrepute, adding that they had thought that with the way the Speaker spoke to his colleagues during the closed door meeting was done with genuine faith not knowing that it was a deceptive meeting.
The group further said; “Our position remains that as democrats, we shall not under any guise subscribe to any form of ‘Master and Servant relationship’ in the 10th Assembly. We must stand up to resist Femi Gbajabiamila’s imposition on members. We will not buy in”.
