No truce yet: Gbajabiamila and Dogara

Groups within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives on Sunday disagreed on caucus elections of Principal Officers of the House.

The Equity Team and Loyalist Group of the lower chamber of the National Assembly kicked against their respective positions over the selection of the four top leadership slots.

They are contending the sharing of the positions of the House Leader, Deputy House Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip of the House among themselves.

Rep. Nasiru Zangon-Daura (Katsina-APC), a member of the Loyalist Group, alleged that the activities of the members of Equity Team would adversely affect their legislative proceedings.

Zango-Daura told newsmen in Abuja that the activities of a “few disloyal members of the party in collaboration with the opposition party’’ had seriously undermined the victory of APC.

He alleged further that the alliance among the members of the opposition parties and the 39 disloyal members of the APC produced Rep. Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker.

“With a difference of just eight votes between Dogara and Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker should have realised the need to cultivate a united house,’’ he said.

He observed that the leadership crisis in the House could truncate President Muhammadu Buhari’s development agenda.

“The struggle is not about the members of the group, it is about being loyal and committed to party’s manifesto.

“It is all about preventing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from hijacking the National Assembly from our party.

“We hereby assure all those that voted for the APC that we will never betray the trust you reposed in us as your elected representatives in the House,’’ he said.

The Equity Group had earlier in a news conference on Saturday in Abuja claimed that the majority of the APC members in the House were consulted on the caucus elections of principal officers.

The group said that Dogara proposed Rep. Alhassan Doguwa (Kano-APC) as House Leader, Rep. Buba Jibrin (Kogi-APC) as Deputy House Leader, Rep. Pally Iriase (APC-Edo) as Chief Whip and Rep. Chika Okafor (APC-Imo) as Deputy Chief Whip.

The Equity Group also claimed at the news briefing that the Loyalist Group had agreed with the arrangement.