Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and his Deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, seem to be locked in a fierce battle for the position of Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that their deteriorating relationship has sparked a new chapter in this contest.
There are indications that Wase feels bitter about Gbajabiamila’s endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) preferred candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, instead of himself.
Recent reports suggest that Wase has stopped attending the pre-plenary leadership meetings since he officially declared his intention to run for the position last week.
Furthermore, the deputy speaker no longer accompanies the speaker in the customary procession to the plenary.
It is customary for all principal officers to accompany the speaker into the chambers before the start of the plenary session. However, Wase has stopped joining the procession, choosing instead to enter alone and take his seat on the floor.
A member of the APC, who has observed these developments, stated, “I can confirm that the deputy speaker has escalated the fight for speakership to a new level. The absence of Deputy Speaker Wase was noticeable on Tuesday morning when Speaker Gbajabiamila and other members of the leadership entered the chambers for plenary. Wase deliberately avoided the speaker’s procession.
“I can’t imagine how angry he is. I hope you media are taking note that since last week after his (Wase) declaration, we are told he has stopped attending pre-plenary meetings with the speaker and body of principal officers.
“You will notice that even today (Tuesday) if you were here (chambers), he wasn’t on the speaker’s procession to the plenary. Or did you see him when the speaker was coming in?
“No! But I say this is puerile because the speaker has the right to support whoever he wants to succeed him. So, how can the deputy speaker be taking this to be a personal fight between him and Speaker Gbajabiamila”
The lawmaker added, “This is part of why he can’t be a speaker because he doesn’t have the temperament to relate with people.
“But when we honourable members take decisions, we will be criticised and attacked but we know ourselves. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas cannot behave this way. It’s so disappointing.”
“He is just looking for ways to express his anger and spite the speaker. Even last week, he and his group made an attempt to re-amend the House Rules so that voting on that day will be by secret balloting. But it failed because we got wind of the plan and frustrated them. How can a man who is so desperate be able to handle the House as a speaker?”, he queried.
Recall that Wase previously led a group of aggrieved aspirants, known as the G-7, to the APC national secretariat.
During this visit, he openly accused Speaker Gbajabiamila of orchestrating the selection of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and undermining other aspirants.
Addressing the national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the party’s leadership, Wase stated, “While we were campaigning, an attempt was made by the speaker (Gbajabiamila) to call us. We respectfully went there, sat down, and when he suggested we come up with a consensus and work together, we agreed. We took pictures and shared them with the world.”
“But after that meeting, there was another meeting, and in that meeting, I made bold to tell the speaker, ‘We are told you are rooting for this particular person’, but he swore to us and swore to God that it was not so. I said, ‘No, it is in the public domain’. He said, ‘No, it’s not true.’
“The speaker, alone, cannot produce speaker and deputy speaker. I came into the National Assembly in 2007.
