HEAVY pressure is being mounted on returning
members of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the House of
Representatives from the South-West to defect to the Peoples Democratic
Party.
Investigations showed that this pressure is coming from some powerful stalwarts of the PDP in the South West who want to shore up the numerical strength of the PDP House members from the zone in a bid to enhance the zone’s chances of retaining the seat of the Speaker of the House.
At the moment, there are three PDP House members from the zone in the House, namely, Ajibola Muraina, Mulikat Adeola and Odebunmi Dokun.
The development came as politicians from the South-East and the South-West spent the weekend lobbying to clinch the number four position in the country.
Already, the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha; the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Mr. Bethel Amadi; the Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, Mr. Ezuiche Ubani; and the Chairman of the Committee on Banking/Currency, Mr. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, have expressed their desire to be the next speaker. They are all from the South-East.
Another likely candidate from the South-East, the Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is said to enjoy the support of many lawmakers, though he has not declared his intention to vie for the seat.
Muraina, a lawyer and protégé of former President Olusegun, is said to be the favourite of some power brokers to get the seat among the three PDP members from the South-West.
Muraina came to the House in 2007, the same time as Adeola. Dokun is a new member. The three are from Oyo State.
Adeola, a lawyer was reported to have told to some of her colleagues that she was as qualified as Muraina to clinch the seat, wondering why her name was hardly mentioned in the calculations.
It was learnt on Sunday that some PDP power brokers in the South-West were using their contacts within and outside the National Assembly to persuade the ACN members to defect and contest to become the Speaker of the House.
A source in the National Assembly said, “It is no longer hidden that some forces in the zone are fighting to retain the position of the Speaker.
“This was a pre-election understanding but the poor performance of the PDP has led to the negligible number of its members in the House.
“The defection idea is to increase the number of PDP members in the House from the zone and also to enhance the zone’s chances of retaining the Speaker’s seat.
“Those being wooed are also being reminded of the fact that they stand a chance of becoming the Speaker.”
Findings indicated that besides raising the number of PDP members, the defection idea was to widen the choices of candidates, besides Muraina and Adeola, should the seat be retained in the zone.
It was learnt that some key members of the ACN from the zone had allegedly agreed to serve as “contact points” the defection proposal.
Two lawmakers from the zone confided in The PUNCH in Abuja that they had been approached to defect to the PDP.
One of them said, “They have been bombarding me with telephone calls.
“But, this is a dicey situation; they say they are looking for at least 10 members (defectors).
“This is not the type of decision you wake up one day and say, I accept.”
However, another lawmaker and a third-timer, dismissed the proposal as “an impossibility.”
The lawmaker argued that the ACN would oppose any plan to sacrifice its membership on the altar of helping the PDP to retain the seat of the speaker in the South-West.
The lawmaker added, “The odds will be against any ACN member who accepts to defect.
“The member will surely face a hostile home front because it will be considered a betrayal of trust.
“Besides, the governors in the zone now are of the ACN apart from one (Ondo State). The proposal will not work.”
A separate account said that rather than losing its members to the PDP, the ACN caucus in the House might offer its bloc vote to any PDP candidate from the zone, who would contest for the position of Speaker.
Asked to comment on the issue, the Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN, Lagos State), said that no ACN member would defect to the PDP, no matter the pressure.
He said, “Nobody in ACN is going anywhere; they must be kidding. We are intact. “There is nothing like that; it will not happen.
“What I do know is that the House will produce the Speaker that it wants, zoning or no zoning.
“They can zone it to anywhere; our concern is that the House will elect a Speaker that members want.”
According to Gbajabiamila, the House may elect a Speaker who is not “even in the calculations right now.”
But, a source close to the ACN lawmakers claimed that the minority leader was “economical with the truth.”
He said, “There has been pressure on ACN lawmakers; as a matter of fact, they have used the position of speaker and deputy speaker to woo them in the hope to secure one of the positions for the zone.
“In the course of the discussions, a member was offered the position of deputy speaker as an alternative, should the zone fail to secure the speakership.”
By John Ameh, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
Investigations showed that this pressure is coming from some powerful stalwarts of the PDP in the South West who want to shore up the numerical strength of the PDP House members from the zone in a bid to enhance the zone’s chances of retaining the seat of the Speaker of the House.
At the moment, there are three PDP House members from the zone in the House, namely, Ajibola Muraina, Mulikat Adeola and Odebunmi Dokun.
The development came as politicians from the South-East and the South-West spent the weekend lobbying to clinch the number four position in the country.
Already, the Chief Whip of the House, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha; the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Mr. Bethel Amadi; the Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, Mr. Ezuiche Ubani; and the Chairman of the Committee on Banking/Currency, Mr. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, have expressed their desire to be the next speaker. They are all from the South-East.
Another likely candidate from the South-East, the Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is said to enjoy the support of many lawmakers, though he has not declared his intention to vie for the seat.
Muraina, a lawyer and protégé of former President Olusegun, is said to be the favourite of some power brokers to get the seat among the three PDP members from the South-West.
Muraina came to the House in 2007, the same time as Adeola. Dokun is a new member. The three are from Oyo State.
Adeola, a lawyer was reported to have told to some of her colleagues that she was as qualified as Muraina to clinch the seat, wondering why her name was hardly mentioned in the calculations.
It was learnt on Sunday that some PDP power brokers in the South-West were using their contacts within and outside the National Assembly to persuade the ACN members to defect and contest to become the Speaker of the House.
A source in the National Assembly said, “It is no longer hidden that some forces in the zone are fighting to retain the position of the Speaker.
“This was a pre-election understanding but the poor performance of the PDP has led to the negligible number of its members in the House.
“The defection idea is to increase the number of PDP members in the House from the zone and also to enhance the zone’s chances of retaining the Speaker’s seat.
“Those being wooed are also being reminded of the fact that they stand a chance of becoming the Speaker.”
Findings indicated that besides raising the number of PDP members, the defection idea was to widen the choices of candidates, besides Muraina and Adeola, should the seat be retained in the zone.
It was learnt that some key members of the ACN from the zone had allegedly agreed to serve as “contact points” the defection proposal.
Two lawmakers from the zone confided in The PUNCH in Abuja that they had been approached to defect to the PDP.
One of them said, “They have been bombarding me with telephone calls.
“But, this is a dicey situation; they say they are looking for at least 10 members (defectors).
“This is not the type of decision you wake up one day and say, I accept.”
However, another lawmaker and a third-timer, dismissed the proposal as “an impossibility.”
The lawmaker argued that the ACN would oppose any plan to sacrifice its membership on the altar of helping the PDP to retain the seat of the speaker in the South-West.
The lawmaker added, “The odds will be against any ACN member who accepts to defect.
“The member will surely face a hostile home front because it will be considered a betrayal of trust.
“Besides, the governors in the zone now are of the ACN apart from one (Ondo State). The proposal will not work.”
A separate account said that rather than losing its members to the PDP, the ACN caucus in the House might offer its bloc vote to any PDP candidate from the zone, who would contest for the position of Speaker.
Asked to comment on the issue, the Minority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN, Lagos State), said that no ACN member would defect to the PDP, no matter the pressure.
He said, “Nobody in ACN is going anywhere; they must be kidding. We are intact. “There is nothing like that; it will not happen.
“What I do know is that the House will produce the Speaker that it wants, zoning or no zoning.
“They can zone it to anywhere; our concern is that the House will elect a Speaker that members want.”
According to Gbajabiamila, the House may elect a Speaker who is not “even in the calculations right now.”
But, a source close to the ACN lawmakers claimed that the minority leader was “economical with the truth.”
He said, “There has been pressure on ACN lawmakers; as a matter of fact, they have used the position of speaker and deputy speaker to woo them in the hope to secure one of the positions for the zone.
“In the course of the discussions, a member was offered the position of deputy speaker as an alternative, should the zone fail to secure the speakership.”
By John Ameh, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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