It emerged on Friday that many members of the in-coming House of Representatives are opposed to the ambition of the two choices from the South-West, Honourables Mulikat Adeola-Akande and Muraina Ajibola as a result of the duo’s failure to directly reach out to the members.
Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Haliru Bello, had on Thursday announced Hon. Adeola-Akande as choice for Speakership.
This is also coming as President Goodluck Jonathan and governors on the party’s platform moved to stop Honourable Aminu Tambunwal, another candidate from North West.
The party had zoned the position to South-West.
Some re-elected members and new members alike who confided in the Saturday Tribune said that unlike the situation in the Senate, where the candidate of the North-Central, Senator David Mark, has been in touch with all senators and sought the support of each of them, the contestants in the House of Representatives are largely relying on the party to do the job for them.
Some lawmakers said that while Hon. Tambunwal, who is from the North-West, a zone that is regarded as unqualified to contest the Speaker’s seat has reached out personally to all returning and new members as well as their godfathers, the South-West candidates are simply relying on small caucuses and the machinery of the PDP to do the job for them.
“You can imagine that Tambunwal, who is regarded as not qualified to contest the seat by way of zoning has toured round the geo-political zones, he has set up a campaign committee among members, the South-West candidates are simply relying on the PDP to do the job for them,” a source said.
Meanwhile, it was learnt on Friday that gender sensitivity was a major issue that won the seat for Hon. Adeola-Akande.
A presidency source said that the leaders of the party felt that women participated actively in the process of the last general election and they also voted massively and that the best way to appreciate them is to ensure that one of their own occupies the headship of one of the arms of government.
President Goodluck Jonathan and governors of PDP – controlled states have waded into the struggle for the Speakership position of the House of Representatives, insisting that it would go to the South-West which has just three members from the party.
Saturday Tribune findings indicated that Jonathan rallied the governors’ support for the party’s position within the last few days, following the recalcitrant posture of some candidates who wanted the post in spite of the party’s position.
One of the opposition groups referred to as “anti-zoning group” headed by the outgoing Deputy Whip of the House, Hon. Tambunwal had insisted on North-West producing the Speaker, contrary to the position of the PDP to have a speaker from the South-West.
Sources revealed that the latest intervention of the president and governors caused the collapse of the anti-zoning group with members which it had managed to garner in the last few weeks crossing over to the party’s team in droves, thereby paving way for a candidate from the South-West to be selected.
The intervention followed a minor re-tinkering of the zoning arrangement in the House which has seen the position of the House Leader zoned to the North-West from the South-South where a two-time Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Honourable Friday Itulah, was favoured to clinch the post.
It was gathered that the slight changes in the position in the House was as a result of the changes in the Senate which led to the selection of Senator Ndoma Egba from Cross River State (South South) as the Senate Leader, a position occupied by Senator Teslim Folarin from Oyo State.
Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives who are against the open-secret ballot for the purpose of electing the new leadership for the 7th House of Representatives on Monday lost in their bid to judicially reverse the recently amended Standing Order of the House over the election mode.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday threw out their ex-parte application seeking the suspension of the amendment.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole while rejecting the ex-parte application described it as self-induced.
With the failure to get the amended Order II, Rule 3 (f) (i) and (ii) of the Standing Orders of the House suspended, the open-secret ballot would now be used for electing the new officers of the Lower Chamber.
Two pro-zoning law makers, – Hon. Jerry Manwe and Bitrus Kaze, had filed an ex-parte application to stop the use of the voting pattern on Monday.
Joined as defendants in the suit are; the House, the Speaker, Clerk to the National Assembly, Clerk to the House and the Deputy Speaker of the House.
Justice Kolawole directed the plaintiffs to put them on notice.
Read the original:
Intrigues Behind Adeola-Akande’s Endorsement