House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has met with nine members of the Green Chamber of the National Assembly who are aspiring to succeed him in June.

All nine are from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and The Nation gathered yesterday that the meeting was part of the strategy to ensure that the ruling party does not go into the contest for the speakership a divided house.

At the Thursday meeting were Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase; Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Aliyu Mukthar Betara; Chairman, Committee on Navy, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi; Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; and Chairman, Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbas.

The rest were Chairman, Committee on Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; Chairman, Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli Jibia; Abubakar Makki Yalleman and Sani Jaji.

They were joined at the meeting by Deputy House Leader, Peter Akpatason.

Gbajabiamila personally confirmed the meeting on his Twitter handle @femigbaja yesterday.

The nine aspirants, he said, have what it takes to lead the House.

His words: “Yesterday (Thursday), I met with aspirants for the office of the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the coming 10^thAssembly.

“All nine aspirants I have known and worked with for many years and I have no doubt will do well in continuing and building on the legacy of the 9^thAssembly.”

However, The Nation gathered that the APC and Gbajabiamila did not what to leave anything to chance in the contest for the Speakership.

“The meeting was to forge the way forward and find a way of ensuring a rancor-free campaign,” a source said.

“You are aware that the party has to speak out first on the zoning arrangement for the position. On the other hand, the Speaker cannot impose any of the aspirants on the others. So, the meeting was to find a way of ensuring that they work together in the interest of all.

“It was also to ensure that the aspirants do not make any commend or statement that is negative about each other as they go about their campaign.

“He (Gbajabiamila) believes in the capacity of these men, having worked with them for a while now. But the party must speak out first before anyone can begin to take a position.”

North Central, South East intensify lobby

The aspirants and their supporters are already intensifying their campaign, consulting with politicians with clout, traditional rulers and groups that may help them in realising their ambition.

The North Central and South East geo-political zones in particular are lobbing the leadership of the APC to zone the position to them.

Each of the two zones claims it is its turn to lead the House

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Labour Party (LP) are strategising on their own, hoping that the APC will blow its chance.

The opposition parties are said to be considering pulling their strength together to present one of them for the position of Speaker especially if they have more members than the APC after the conduct of the April 15 supplementary elections.

The North West has occupied the position of Speaker four times since the return to democracy in 1999; the South West thrice and the North East once.

The North Central and South East have not occupied the position.

Those who have occupied the position of Speaker from the North West are Salisu Buhari, Ghali Umar Na’abba, Aminu Bello Masari and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. From the South West are Mrs.Patricia Etteh, Dimeji Bankole and Gbajabiamila, while from the North East is Yakubu Dogara.

The current aspirants from the North Central are Wase, Gagdi and Olawuyi. From the South East is Kalu. Betara comes from the North East while Abbas and Soli are from the North West.

There are speculations current House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa is also interested in the position, but his election is yet to be concluded as a supplementary poll has been ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his constituency.

Doguwa was initially declared winner of the Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency before the commission withdrew the announcement, saying it was done under duress.

While party leaders in the North Central are emphasising the need for equity and justice in the zoning of the position, it was gathered that some of the aspirants outside the zone have vowed to fight for the position even if it is not zoned to them.

Some of the aspirants in the race have also continued to justify why the position of Speaker should be zoned to their part of the country.

Gagdi, for example claims it will amount to injustice should the APC zone the position of Speaker to any part of the North other than the North Central.

While responding to a question on whether the position should be thrown open as being canvassed by some party members, he said: “People may say that because they have the right to do that. But it has always been zoned. Why do they want to throw it open this time around?

“Why was the presidency zoned? And the speakership is not supposed to be zoned? I think people have a right to say what they want to say, but the ideal thing is for us to do zoning.

“I am a party man. Wherever the party zones it, I will respect the position of the party. But I expect the party to put superior justice to bear.”

On whether he will agree to step down from the race, he said: “I have said that clearly, but it doesn’t close my mouth from telling the party that it is not fair if they don’t zone it to North-Central. I expect the party to zone it to North-Central.

“There was a time the party chairman announced a candidate for presidential election, but in the spirit of justice, party members, including the governors resisted it. They said no, the president should not come from the North again, it should move to the South.

“So, if that happened, I doubt if the party will swallow its words by standing on the principle of justice on the issue of presidency and now come and zone the position of Speaker to a zone that has produced the Speaker four times or to a zone that has produced it twice.”

Another candidate for the position from the North Central, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, said even though zoning was not part of the nation’s constitution, parties adopt it as a way of balancing power, and was however quick to add that Nigerians must grow beyond the politics of religion and ethnicity.

He said: “If the party decides that the position of Speaker is going to the North Central, I will be the first to support it. Outside zoning that might shut me out. If I make it to the floor, I will be the next Speaker.”

Another candidate and spokesman of the House, Benjamin Kalu, believes the South East deserves to produce the next Speaker, having occupied the position last about 40 years ago.

“Why the zone I come from is interested in the Speakership of the House is that for 40 years, the South Eastern region has not occupied that position.

“The last time that position was occupied by somebody from that region was during the reign of Ume Ezeoke between1979 to 1983. We are talking of 40 years of my people not seating on that seat.

“The question is: why? Does it mean that my people are not competent or that there is no capacity from there?

Reminded that Agunwa Anaekwe also served as Speaker in the aborted Third Republic, he said the tenure of Anaekwe was short-lived because he was in office for only one year.

Kalu also has asked the APC to consider rewarding loyalty and commitment to the party in deciding the next Speaker.

Kalu said rewarding loyalty to the party would always stimulate more loyalty, saying the APC should be able to convince the people that he did not make any mistake standing by it against all odds during the last election. (The Nation)