Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, crisis may be brewing among members-elect of the House of Representatives over alleged plan by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to impose a successor.

Already, about nine elected members of the House of Representatives have indicated interest in the seat, but sources claim that Gbajabiamila had made up his mind to back the Chairman, House Committee on Land Transportation, Tajudeen Abbas, from Kaduna State as his successor.

Those, who have shown interest, include the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase (Plateau), Aliyu Betara (Borno), Majority Leader, Alhassan Dongwa (Kano) and Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau).

Others are Olaide Akinremi (Oyo), Benjamin Kalu (Abia), Tajudeen Abbas (Kaduna), Abubakar Yalleman (Jigawa) and Abdulraheem Olawuyi (Kwara)

National Consciousness Movement (NCM) has, however, rejected any plot to impose leaders on the House.

The socio-political organisation argued that the obnoxious trend of public office holders attempting to instal successors rather than allow unfettered established rules take precedent in the choice of a replacement has become a very sad norm in the nation’s polity.

NCM, in a statement, yesterday, signed by its President, Ibrahim Gidado; Vice President, Olanrewaju Nurudeen and National Secretary, Obinna Kalu, lamented that outgoing public office holders, most times, do not care whether their preferred candidate has the requisite capacity and competence to hold such offices for the overall benefit of the nation and people.

Re-Elected member of the House from Kwara, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, has joined the race for the Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.

Arguing that North Central deserves to produce the next Speaker of the House for equity and justice, he enthused that only the zoning of the position out of the North Central will deny him the slot.

Olawuyi, who declared his interest at a briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said he might look like an underdog, but is the best for the office.

He is the first member of the House to formally declare his intention to contest the position of the Speaker when the 10th National Assembly is inaugurated in June.

He said: “I have the passion vision, experience, capacity, competence, courage, humility, patriotism, the requisite knowledge and capacity to provide the required equitable leadership that ensures inclusive participation of all members to pilot the affairs of the House and the country in the right direction, in line with our constitutional mandate and collective aspirations of the people we represent.

“As Speaker of the House, I promise to promote transparency and accountability in the operations of the House. I believe the citizens have the right to know what is happening in government.”

(The Guardian)

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