Speakership: Low turnout as Gbajabiamila launches campaign for Tajudeen

DAILY POST

Members-elect for the 10th House of Representatives, on Wednesday, failed to honour the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the sole aim of launching a campaign for Representative Abbas Tajudeen.

Tajudeen is one of the aspirants for the position of the Speaker for the 10th Assembly.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, had adopted Tajudeen, a member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, for the position of Speaker in the next Assembly.

DAILY POST learnt that zoning of the number four citizen’s position to the North West and the subsequent adoption of Tajudeen, was the brainchild of Gbajabiamila, who allegedly prefers to continue holding grip of the 10th House of Representatives, thereby, making it possible for Tinubu to control the incoming Assembly.

But Gbajabiamila, during a meeting organized Wednesday night by the Joint Task Force for the 10th Assembly, an umbrella body for the actualization of Tajudeen’s ambition as Speaker, denied ever influencing the choice of the Kaduna-born politician.

He explained: “North West geopolitical zone alone contributed 30% of the total votes for APC in the last elections and if you conduct a proper research, the North West zone has not been considered for the number four position in the history of our parliament.”

He was, however, shocked to see a hall filled with support groups, journalists and spectators as the target audience, members-elect, who possess the voting powers, largely boycotted the meeting.

Sensing that the little number inside the hall might not necessarily be members and members-elect, whom he has sought to address, Gbajabiamila requested for an executive session, apparently to see if he has enough numbers to make his anointed candidate Speaker; only to be bewildered that only 73 members and members-elect honoured the invitation.