Dogara, Gbajabiamila not willing to shift ground in NASS crisis

The warring factions of the All Progressives Congress in the National Assembly may be unwilling to agree on a compromise, in order to resolve the crisis.

In spite of President Buhari appeal to the feuding members to embrace peace and party Chairman, John Oyegun’s advise to settle for a compromise, it appears that the lawmakers have stuck to their demands.

At the National Executive Council meeting on Friday, state governors has been directed to resolve the crisis over the National Assembly leadership.

The governors would subsequently meet with the groups but after failing to immediately resolve the crisis, they adjourned their meeting to Saturday.

However, on Saturday, the meeting was shifted to Sunday in order to give the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and his Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole- ample time to reach out to the feuding factions.

Punch Newspapers reports that the Gbajabiamila-led group in the House will be going into the meeting with a rigid demand that the former Minority Leader should become the Majority Leader of the 8th Assembly.

The group would also insist on respecting the position of the party on other principal offices of the House.

 

It is believed that Gbajabiamila had reportedly vowed that members of his group would not accept any offers outside the “decision already taken by the leadership of the party.”

A member of the faction revealed that there would be no compromise.

“We hope this will be a fruitful, peaceful meeting. We hope it will end it all. We are loyal party members and we stick to the decision of our party on the sharing of the principal offices; we don’t see how anybody will accept anything less.”

Similarly and quite unfortunately, the faction led by Dogara is also standing by its position that the principal offices should go round the six geo-political zones in the country.

A lawmaker in the speaker’s camp disclosed that the subject matter for the controversy remained the same.

The source said: “We welcome the interest shown in this matter by our governors. It is a sign that they want this issue to be resolved quickly so that we can move ahead. The position has not changed, the speaker has made the point over and over again that since the South-West has produced the deputy speaker, it will be unfair to other zones to still give them the slot of majority leader.”

“You also don’t expect the North-East, where the speaker comes from, to take additional slots. What about the other zones? Are they not stakeholders as well? Didn’t they contribute to the success of the APC?”

One comment

  1. I am in support of Dogara’s position. The south west has deputy speaker. The position of majority leader should go to another zone. That ensures balanced zoning.

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