ABUJA – Desperate to grant him a place in the leadership of the 8th House of Representatives, the All Progressives Congress, APC in a renewed effort is currently pushing for Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos State) to become the Majority Leader of the House.
But this is to the dissatisfaction of most stakeholders of the party who are seriously kicking against the move.
It will be recalled the Gbajabiamila was beaten in the House Speakership election that held on Tuesday during the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly.
Hon. Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State in the keenly contested election clinched the office.
Similarly, Rep. Yusuf Lasun from Osun State, South West zone, was also elected the deputy speaker beating Rep. Mohammed Mongonu from Borno State, north east zone.
Gbajabiamila was the adopted candidate of the party as well as the political godson of the party’s national Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Mogonu also was the party’s favourite for Deputy Speaker.
But their failure at the polls has in no small degree agonised the party which felt that another position should be offered to Gbajabiamila as a way of compensating him and also assuaging Tinubu’s tempers.
To this end, Vanguard learnt yesterday that the National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Oyegun, one of those making case for Gbajabiamila had already met with the formal Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who’s also major stakeholder in the party at the weekend to elicit his assistance.
According to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the chairman is continuing the high profile visit to other party leaders including Dogara and the newly elected senate president,Dr. Bukola Saraki.
But Vanguard learnt that Oyegun’s mission was bound to fail as many of the party leaders are objecting to the request.
Their reason, the paper gathered is simple: that the south west already had the offices of the Vice President and the Deputy Speaker of the House.
They reasoned that conceding the majority leader of the House to the same west zone would be against the spirit of equity, justice and fairness to other zones.
Similarly, a national assembly source close to the new Speaker of the House told Vanguard that such development was yet get to the new leadership of the Green chambers.
Meanwhile, the party is set for a meeting of Board of Trustees (BoT) on Tuesday baring any unforeseen circumstances that may stall it.
Gbajabiamila’s case, sources said, may be one of the reasons for convening the meeting.
But Vanguard learnt that most members of the BoT were not aware of the meeting, meaning that the party may have selected a few persons loyal to Tinubu to lobby them and perhaps secure their express approval for Gbajabiamila’s ambition.
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