Some members of the House of Representatives have accused Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila of attempting to install a loyalist as his replacement.
Due to the fact that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the incoming president, is also from the South-West, Gbajabiamila will not be re-elected as Speaker of the 10th National Assembly.
Recall that the Speaker met with candidates last week who were vying to succeed him in the Green Chamber.
Those at the meeting with Gbajabiamila were, Deputy Speaker Idris Wase; Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Aliyu Betara; Chairman, Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; Chairman, Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman, Committee on Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; Chairman, Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; Makki Yalleman and Sani Jaji.
But a source has revealed to New Telegraph that Gbajabiamila is reportedly pushing for the speakership of the Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbass.
He claimed that the loyalists of the Speaker, such as the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson, and his counterpart in the NDDC Committee, Bunmi Tunji Ojo, are arrowheads of the move to back Abbas.
The source said: “Right now, we are facing a series of issues that need to be addressed as we prepare for the inauguration in June. As a member of the 9th National Assembly, some of us know what is going on, and we all witnessed a lot of things.
“So, how can the outgoing Speaker insist he must install someone as Speaker as his stooge?
“Does he want to have another term? As far as the North is concerned, the current Speaker will not be allowed to install his choice on us because that will be an insult.
“What is most painful is that the speaker has been calling some freshers, telling them that they must go with Tajudeen Abbass as Speaker and that they must leave whoever they are working for.
“We know that he has stationed his cronies to be the arrowheads of the Abbass campaign.
“Is that not enough? Why is he now demarketing others because he wants to have total control of the House even after his tenure as Speaker?
“As we watch events, those of us from the north are of the opinion that in the next one or two weeks, we should call a meeting and explore means to stop Gbaja from imposing a Speaker on us.
“We have many options at hand, and we will unleash them once he comes out openly from his hiding place.”
Recall that those jostling to be Speaker include the Deputy Speaker, Idris Ahmed Wase; Abass; Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; Chairman, of House Committee on Appropriations, Aliyu Betara; Chairman, House Committee on Science Research Institutes, Olaide Akinremi; Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Makki Yalleman; and Sani Jaji.