10th NASS Leadership: Gbajabiamila, Wase face-off in open house at plenary

…As interest collision tears 9th Assembly leaders apart

By Moses Adeniyi

The complexities of interest roving around the composition of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) has further divided the leadership of the ninth, as leaders of the subsisting Assembly have begun to engage in face off over clashing interest.

Nigerian NewsDirect gathered that incumbent leaders of the House who are either eyeing frontline seats, or supporting a choice candidate have begun to have it tough among themselves over colliding interest.

On Wednesday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase could no longer hide their cold war over the Speakership of the 10th Assembly as both leaders of the green chamber clashed in the open house during the plenary.

Recall that Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu, the candidates popularly reported as the official choice of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)  for Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively of the coming 10th House, are reportedly the choice candidate of Gbajabiamila who was said to have recommended them.

On his part Wase, who is Deputy Speaker of the 9th Assembly next to Gbajabiamila, is reportedly eyeing the seat of Speaker for the 10th House.

Wase is a member of the G-7, a group of aspirants aggrieved with the zoning formula of the leadership of the APC reported to have the backing of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The aggrieved group is reportedly fostering plans to adopt a member to run against the party’s candidate.

Drama ensued on Wednesday towards the end of the session, when Gbajabiamila asked the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, to prepare a light order paper for Thursday as the sitting should close by 2pm to allow members to attend an event at the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

In displeasure on the announcement, Wase protested saying “Mr Speaker, I’m getting to see this getting so funny and we have lost quite a number of periods of time. For the commissioning of projects for God’s sake! Why do we have to shelve a lot of activities that we have just to go and witness the commissioning of a project of NILDS?

“I want to beg, sir, that we should do our functions. Those who have the interest to go, they have the right to. But our main primary function in this parliament is to make law and our citizens should be our priority.”

As Gbajabiamila was responding, saying, “Perhaps, DS (Deputy Speaker), you don’t appreciate the importance of NILDS like some of us do. I think NILDS is very important,” the Deputy Speaker interjected, saying “I have every information and idea of what NILDS is!”

The Speaker in return replied, “It was set up by this same institution by statute. We are not adjourning the House to go to NILDS; what I said was, ‘Let’s try and make it light and leave here by two.’ If you want, we can resume by 10(am). We will do our work but we will adjourn this House at 2pm. I will witness the NILDS (event) because it is important to me.”

Again Wase replied the Speaker, saying “The parliament is about us, not about ‘I.’”

Angered by the reaction, the Speaker said, “Mr Deputy Speaker, this is the first time in history… I have been in this House for many years, perhaps even longer than anybody here. This is the first time in history that a Deputy Speaker will be challenging what the Speaker is saying.”

Wase fired back in reply, saying “I don’t understand what you mean by challenging, sir. That I should not make my contribution?”

Ignoring the Deputy Speaker at this point, the Speaker repeated his order, saying: “Let me repeat please: Chairman Business and Rules, please make the order paper very light. We are adjourning this House by 2pm tomorrow.”

It has been reported that the relationship between the Speaker and his Deputy had recently grown sour, a development not  unconnected to the colliding interest over the leadership of the 10th House of Representatives.

In the Senate, similar face-off among leaders has been taking the back stage, particularly as leaders of the 9th Senate have broken lines along camps with colliding interest.

The major contest in the Senate has been ticking more dicey with divergent interest.

Although he debunked the claims of eyeing again the Senate Presidency, the President of the subsisting 9th Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, was reportedly said to be jostling again for the position.

While the consensus candidacy officially declared by the APC for the 10th Senate is Godswill Akpabio for Senate President and Barau Jibrin for Deputy Senate President, other strong interests among the current leadership include the candidacy of the Chief Whip of the 9th Senate, Senator Orji Kalu who has openly declared his interest for the 10th Senate Presidency seat.