Speakership

The remaining 17 members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly were on Friday night, inaugurated, in what appears to signal a resolution of the leadership crisis bedeviling the House.

Fresh crisis is rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra State, following the choices of Speakership and Governorship positions.

The rift between National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Governor Godwin Obaseki appeared deepened as the lawmakers-elect for the Edo State House of Assembly rejected nomination for the House leadership by the State Executive Committee of the APC.

Only female candidate in the race for the Speakership position in the incoming National Assembly, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has stepped down from the contest.

A former presidential aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, who later defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Charles Udeogaranya, has called on Femi Gbajabiamila, to withdraw from the House of Representatives Speakership race, as according to him, APC lacks national consciousness.

A northern group under the umbrella of Arewa Youth Awareness Forum (AYAF) has noted that if the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, is allowed to emerge as the Speaker of the House, it will amount to having all the top four positions: President, the Senate President and the Chief Justice of Nigeria as Muslims.

A group, Concerned Abia Leaders and Human Rights Lawyers, has asked a former governor of the state, Chief Orji Kalu, to forget his ambition to become the Deputy President of the Senate in the Ninth National Assembly, describing it (the ambition) as “dead on arrival.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended its candidate for the Speakership position of 9th House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, over reports making the rounds that he was convicted by a Court in the United States of America.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Danjuma Goje over his decision to withdraw from the 9th Senate Presidency contest in support of the party’s endorsed candidate, Ahmad Lawan.

An FCT High Court, Jabi on Thursday refused to bar Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, a top contender of the Speakership of the 9th House of Representatives, from going ahead with his ambitions.

The Gbajabiamila/Wase Speakership/Deputy Speakership ticket got a boost Thursday as a group of returning and newly elected House of Representatives members called the ‘9th Assembly Progressives’ adopted Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase as Deputy Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives respectively.

Peoples Democratic Party members elected to the 9th National Assembly have yet to endorse any of the All Progressives Congress members seeking to be elected the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The caucus of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may have jettisoned its reported interest in contesting for the position of the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives, it emerged Tuesday.

Ganiyu Johnson, House of Representatives member-elect for Osodi/Isolo Constituency 2, has said that Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader in the House of Representatives and a top contender to the Speakership position in the Ninth Assembly, will deliver an inclusive and quality leadership going by the way he has been canvassing, carrying everyone along to ensure that he gets the support of everybody across party line.

Amaechi Nwoha, former Speaker of Imo House of Assembly on Thursday urged members-elect of the House of Representatives to elect persons with proven integrity into leadership positions.

All Progressives Congress, APC, Abia State chapter, has said it will not withdraw its support for Nkeiruka Onyejeocha for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The campaign organisations of the House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila and Mohammed Idris Wase collapsed into one last night.

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia on Sunday met and formally endorsed former Gov. Orji Kalu, the Senator-elect for Abia North Senatorial District, for the Deputy Senate President in the 9th National Assembly (NASS).