Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has opened up on how he and former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, opposed the emergence of former Deputy Chief Whip Aminu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Emeka Ihedioha as Deputy Speaker in 2011.

He disclosed this in a leadership colloquium and 60th birthday celebration organised in honour of Tambuwal, held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Chief Obasanjo, who later emerged as Chairman of the erstwhile ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Board of Trustees, said the opposition to Tambuwal’s emergence as Speaker was informed by party interest and the desire to promote gender inclusion in the leadership of the National Assembly.

Checks revealed that in the keenly contested election for Speaker of the Green Chamber, Tambuwal from the northwest defeated his rival for the exalted seat, Akande-Adeola, incidentally from the southwest.

Further checks revealed that the leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and incumbent president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, directed lawmakers under the ACN to vote for Tambuwal.

Obasanjo, who maintained that his position was to promote gender sensitivity, noted that the rebellion by PDP lawmakers was to exercise independence of the Parliament.

He said, “Our thinking was that if, for the first time, a woman had become Speaker of the House, she should be encouraged to remain there.

“But your members thought otherwise, and you made your decision. And we supported your decision. Initially, even you were not sure of where we would stand, but we stood with you.”

Reflecting on Tambuwal’s stewardship, Obasanjo described the senator representing Sokoto South as a warm and humble personality.

Speaking in a similar vein, Dr. Jonathan acknowledged the frosty relationship between the executive arm and the leadership of the House of Representatives during his tenure as president.

He said, “When he was Speaker, I was the President, and we had some disagreements.

“But one thing I must give to Tambuwal is that members of the House believed so much in him.”

“He held the House together. His colleagues always believed in him, and as President then, I appreciated that quality of leadership, even when we disagreed.”

Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, who was Senate President during the period under reference, Senator David Mark, owned up that he was privy to the rebellion against the emergence of Mulikat Adeola as Speaker.

David Mark noted that he subordinated his loyalty to the PDP to the independence of the National Assembly.

He said, “They came to me and said, ‘Sir, whether you like it or not, you are adopting us as your sons.”

“They told me clearly that whether the President and the party wanted them or not, they would emerge Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and that I would sponsor them.”

“For once, Mr. President, I disobeyed you.”

In his short remarks, former vice president and ADC presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, described Tambuwal as a leader in the making.

He added, “We are celebrating a remarkable Nigerian leader. We hope he will live up to the prayers and expectations of Nigerians.”

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as “a man deeply committed to the unity of this country and to building consensus for development.”

The favoured candidate of the PDP for the seat who lost to Tambuwal during the voting, Honourable Mulikat Akande-Adeola, who also graced the occasion, told the gathering of top chieftains of the ruling APC, the main opposition party, the PDP and the ADC that she nursed no grudge against those who frustrated his aspiration for the seat of Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“Only what God wills comes to pass. Tambuwal has been Speaker and a leader. There is no animosity among us.”

In his remarks, Tambuwal expressed concern over growing apathy against government occasioned by poor governance.

He noted that the power elite must reflect deeply on the growing spate of imposition of leaders.

Apart from the two former presidents, the event had in attendance President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah; former Speakers of the House of Representatives Patricia Etteh and Yakubu Dogara; Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; and the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.

Other party chieftains sighted included Rotimi Amaechi , Kayode Fayemi, Aminu Masari and Udom Emmanuel, former governors of Rivers, Ekiti, Katsina and Akwa Ibom states, respectively.

Others were former governor of Osun State and national secretary of the ADC, Rauf Aregbesola; Ibikunle Amosun and Otunba Gbenga Daniel, incidentally former governors of Ogun State and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha.

(Nigerian Tribune)