Some members-Elect of the House of Representatives are currently on a war path with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila as the battle over the speakership of 10th National Assembly continues.
It was learnt that some of the lawmakers are angry over what they regarded as disrespect to them in the choice of who succeeds Gbajabiamila by the Speaker’s Chief of Staff, Olarenwaju Smart.
There has been intense tussle over who emerges as speaker of the 10th National Assembly.
However, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in conjunction with the President-Elect, Senator Bola Tinubu, recently selected Hon. Tajudeen Abbass, as their preferred candidate for the position.
This development hasn’t gone down well with the other aspirants and the opposition parties, who had subsequently expressed their opposition to the the choice of APC and Tinubu.
However, it was gathered that Smart, who is coordinating support of the old and newly elected lawmakers for the APC Abbass, has been reaching out to threaten members to ensure they vote for the anointed candidate or end up without being appointed a member of any “juicy committee” in the incoming assembly.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a lawmaker who belongs to the camp of Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, one of the frontline aspirants for the position of Speakership said many lawmakers are deeply upset about the threats being dished out to them by Smart.
He said some lawmakers have proceeded to report the matter to Gbajabiamila.
He said: “It was quite dehumanising and belittling to be addressed like that by someone who has never contested elections, even for a local government chairman or councillor position.”
The aggrieved member-elect disclosed futher: “He expressly told us, members and members-elect of the House of Representatives who went through the rigours of tough elections to get where we are today, people who campaigned to get votes and went out of our ways to get funds for our election, that we had better support Hon. T.J (Abbas) or we should not expect to chair or even be appointed members of top committees in the 10th Assembly. It is the height of disrespect.”
It was learnt that the development heightened tension among the lawmakers who were already aggrieved over alleged illegal amendment of the House rules which has been attributed to Gbajabiamila and has led to talks of a last minute impeachment .
However, it was learnt that Speaker Gbajabiamila has been up calling the lawmakers to “apologise” and to solicit their “support” with promises of juicy offers in order to pacify them.