The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, apparently aiming to cause maximum damage for the new ruling party, was itself positioning to enter the fray as a united body in the leadership contests against the fractured APC. Gbajabiamila, Dogara, Saraki and Lawan Gbajabiamila, Dogara, Saraki and Lawan Pleas by the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for unity at a press conference, yesterday afternoon, were snubbed by supporters of Senator Bukola Saraki who is aspiring for the Senate Presidency and those of Yakubu Dogara for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Upon that snub, the party hierarchy brought Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo into the fray through a meeting with the Reps-elect and
senators-elect.
The Dogara group was quick to dismiss that meeting with a pledge not to attend, saying there was little political distance between the vice-president and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who they claimed had railroaded the leadership to endorse Femi Gbajabiamila as the sole party candidate for the position.
However, the vice-president did not turn up and was represented by the party chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Tinubu and the party leadership were also pushing the aspiration of Senator Ahmad Lawan upon the endorsement of the Yobe North third term senator at the party caucus last Saturday.
Last minute deals
Supporters of Senator Lawan on their part after a meeting at about 8.30 p.m. last night, were said to have resolved to personally approach Saraki to keep the unity of the party and step down. The peace mission to Saraki was, however, yet to see Saraki as it was learnt that the Kwara strongman had become unreachable.
Meanwhile, Dogara’s aspiration which appeared to lose momentum at the weekend following the controversies that trailed the primary caucus, seemed to have recovered following the intervention of two serving governors in the Northwest formerly in the House of Representatives. The support of the governors, it was learnt, were also dousing religious sensibilities after it appeared that many Muslim members-elect had ditched him on account of his Christian background. The support of the Northwest governors including a former powerful official in the House of Representatives emboldened the Dogara camp to insist on taking the battle to the House floor.
The Dogara camp was also banking on the House rules which provides for secret voting, a situation they claimed, yesterday, would allow their closest supporters to vote for him since the votes cannot be traced.
Dogara’s momentum was, however, tempered by the decision of a Federal High Court in Abuja to remove Gbajabiamila’s name from the contest upon alleged infractions committed in the United States. The court rather asked that Gbajabiamila be put on notice for the case coming up on June 18.
That decision nonetheless, the Dogara camp spread out word that they cannot afford to have a presiding officer who would be parading the court.
Meanwhile, the aspirations of both Gbajabiamila and Dogara were also being threatened with the alleged plot by the immediate past Deputy House Leader, Rep. Leo Ogor to enter the race for either the position of speaker or deputy speaker.
PDP joins the fray
Meanwhile, the PDP which had earlier pledged to stay out of the tussle entered the fray in different ways last night. PDP senators-elect and members-elect, it was learnt, were determined to enter today’s contest as a united body, putting the minority body which commands 49 of the 108 senators-elect in a decisive position to determine the outcome. PDP governors and immediate former governors including some who have now entered the Senate were also rallying to present a united front in today’s election.
The governors of the two major parties have, meanwhile, descended fully into the race.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, Odigie-Oyegun during a terse press conference where he refused to take questions, affirmed that members elected on the APC’s platform had already taken a decision on whom to elect as Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
According to him, the incoming lawmakers out of their own volition on Saturday organized a mock election that produced Senator Lawan (Yobe State) as candidate for the Senate president and Gbajabiamila from Lagos State as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/nass-leadership-showdown-pdp-holds-the-ace/#sthash.hfkRUzYL.dpuf
The Dogara group was quick to dismiss that meeting with a pledge not to attend, saying there was little political distance between the vice-president and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who they claimed had railroaded the leadership to endorse Femi Gbajabiamila as the sole party candidate for the position.
However, the vice-president did not turn up and was represented by the party chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Tinubu and the party leadership were also pushing the aspiration of Senator Ahmad Lawan upon the endorsement of the Yobe North third term senator at the party caucus last Saturday.
Last minute deals
Supporters of Senator Lawan on their part after a meeting at about 8.30 p.m. last night, were said to have resolved to personally approach Saraki to keep the unity of the party and step down. The peace mission to Saraki was, however, yet to see Saraki as it was learnt that the Kwara strongman had become unreachable.
Meanwhile, Dogara’s aspiration which appeared to lose momentum at the weekend following the controversies that trailed the primary caucus, seemed to have recovered following the intervention of two serving governors in the Northwest formerly in the House of Representatives. The support of the governors, it was learnt, were also dousing religious sensibilities after it appeared that many Muslim members-elect had ditched him on account of his Christian background. The support of the Northwest governors including a former powerful official in the House of Representatives emboldened the Dogara camp to insist on taking the battle to the House floor.
The Dogara camp was also banking on the House rules which provides for secret voting, a situation they claimed, yesterday, would allow their closest supporters to vote for him since the votes cannot be traced.
Dogara’s momentum was, however, tempered by the decision of a Federal High Court in Abuja to remove Gbajabiamila’s name from the contest upon alleged infractions committed in the United States. The court rather asked that Gbajabiamila be put on notice for the case coming up on June 18.
That decision nonetheless, the Dogara camp spread out word that they cannot afford to have a presiding officer who would be parading the court.
Meanwhile, the aspirations of both Gbajabiamila and Dogara were also being threatened with the alleged plot by the immediate past Deputy House Leader, Rep. Leo Ogor to enter the race for either the position of speaker or deputy speaker.
PDP joins the fray
Meanwhile, the PDP which had earlier pledged to stay out of the tussle entered the fray in different ways last night. PDP senators-elect and members-elect, it was learnt, were determined to enter today’s contest as a united body, putting the minority body which commands 49 of the 108 senators-elect in a decisive position to determine the outcome. PDP governors and immediate former governors including some who have now entered the Senate were also rallying to present a united front in today’s election.
The governors of the two major parties have, meanwhile, descended fully into the race.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, Odigie-Oyegun during a terse press conference where he refused to take questions, affirmed that members elected on the APC’s platform had already taken a decision on whom to elect as Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
According to him, the incoming lawmakers out of their own volition on Saturday organized a mock election that produced Senator Lawan (Yobe State) as candidate for the Senate president and Gbajabiamila from Lagos State as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/nass-leadership-showdown-pdp-holds-the-ace/#sthash.hfkRUzYL.dpuf
No comments:
Post a Comment