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Tag: Femi Gbajabiamila

  • North Central caucus rejects Gbajabiamila’s endorsement by APC

    The North Central Caucus of the House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected the endorsement of Majority Leader of Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the incoming 9th National Assembly.

    Gbajabiamila was endorsed by the party at a meeting hosted by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night.

    A member John Dyegh (Benue) said the North Central caucus was not satisfied with the decision.

    He said the North Central caucus has asked the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconsider the decision and zone the seat to the North Central.

    It would be recalled that Chike Oakford (Imo) also declared his intention to run for the Speaker’s office on Tuesday shortly before the Presidential dinner, saying that the Southeast deserved the Speaker’s position for the 9th House of Representatives.

    Okafor said the party must look beyond numbers but more on fairness and equity.

    Dyegh told reporters the loyalty of the North Central caucus to the party, went ahead to  declare his intention to vie for the position of the 9th Speaker of the House.

    “We are not fighting the party, we are not. We shall not, we are only giving the party an opportunity to come back and look at the zoning and look at what we are saying.

    “Taking what the party says hook, line and sinker is not democratic, we are in a democracy. We have right to vie for position, there’s freedom of expression.

    Read Also: Gbajabiamila empowers fish, vegetable farmers

    “We believe in party supremacy.  Yes, the party is supreme.  I sing that, I say it, I believe it, I go by what the party says but this is democracy and I believe we should give the Green chamber an option.”

    According to him, in addition to being the third largest contributor to the 2019 election success of the party, fairness and equity demands the North Central be considered for the position since the region has never produced the Speaker or Deputy Speaker since the return to democracy in 1999.

    He said: “My party the APC in her wisdom zoned the position of Speaker to the South West and even micro-zoned.

    “I am a party man and my loyalty to the APC is 100 percent, however, the North Central zone has not been convinced nor given reasons why their votes should not count and why we should not run and we feel very strongly that there is still room for negotiation because we believe “it is not over until it is over’.

    “We are therefore appealing to the party to have a rethink and rezone the speakership to the North Central for justice and fair play. We pray to God Almighty to touch the hearts of our Leaders to reconsider us favourably.”

    On his candidacy for the post, the lawmaker said the decision to join the race was based on his unyielding faith in a united and prosperous Nigeria.

    Citing sections of the constitution, Dyegh noted: “It will only be fair, if the position of Speaker is given to the North Central, having taken away the seat of Senate President to the North East.

    “It is instructive to note that the North Central has neither produced Speaker nor the Deputy Speaker since 1999.

    “We are saying that reward in politics is based on what you bring to the table and the North Central brought the third highest number of votes in making President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term a reality and enabling the APC to form Federal Government”.

    On his agenda if successful, Dyegh said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be re-organised while the Electoral laws would be reviewed for enduring electoral processes.

     

  • Breaking: APC adopts Gbajabiamila, zones deputy slot to North-Central

    The All Progressives Congress (APC ) has endorsed the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi  Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the Office of the Speaker in the 9th National Assembly.

    The party has also zoned the slot for Deputy Speaker to North-Central.

    According to a terse statement by the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the adoption of Gbajabiamila was arrived at during a dinner between President Muhammadu Buhari and House members-elect at the Presidential Villa.

    Read also: 9th NASS leadership: Buhari host reps elect to dinner

    The statement said: ” The APC has adopted Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th Assembly.

    “This position was reached after an intensive deliberation with the APC’s House of Representatives members-elect at a dinner with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Banquet Hall of Aso Villa.

    “The Deputy Speaker position has been zoned to the North Central.”

     

  • Why I dropped ambition for House Majority Leader, by Monguno

    The candidacy of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as the Speaker of the Ninth House got a boost on Thursday as Muhammad Monguno withdrew his ambition.

    Monguno, one of the frontline contenders, immediately declared his support for Gbajabiamila based on All Progressives Congress (APC) decision and personal conviction.

    Read Also: My agenda for House of Reps, by Gbajabiamila

    Monguno, who is the current Chairman Committee on Agricultural Productions and Services, said the decision of APC supersedes personal ambitions.

    Besides being an advocate of party supremacy and a loyal party member, Monguno said having zoned the Senate Presidency to the Northeast, fairness dictates that House members from the same region should naturally drop Speakership ambition.

     

  • Speaker: Dogara fingered in plot against Gbajabiamila

    Despite a four-year harmonious working relationship, there were indications last night that House of Representatives Speaker  Yakubu Dogara may not favour Majority Leader  Femi Gbajabiamila to succeed him.

    Dogara and Gbajabiamila were back in the trenches last night as the case in 2015.

    Dogara has adopted a two-edge approach to stop Gbajabiamila, including:

    • causing a division in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House Caucus to pave the way for his second term or;
    • sponsoring one of his loyalists against  Gbajabiamila.

    Three of those vying for Speaker in the APC Caucus has been fingered as “likely running strategic errands for Dogara”.

    Dogara’s three loyalists in the APC Caucus are: Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago(Niger);  Hon. Idris Ahmed Wase (Plateau);  and Hon. Aliyu Mukhtar Betara(Borno).

    A ranking member of the House confirmed the plot to stop Gbajabiamila by Dogara and top leaders of PDP.

    ”They are making efforts to split the APC Caucus. Already,  the jostle for the Office of the Speaker of the House has been deliberately made clumsy and crowded to achieve a purpose. About seven members-elect have indicated interest to be Speaker. Apart from Gbajabiamila, others came from zones outside the Southwest favoured by the party.

    ”The Speaker of the House of Representatives is highly interested in his successor and the horse-trading so far indicated that he does not support Gbajabiamila. He has the choices of either plotting to succeed himself or installing his stooge.

    ”As a matter of fact, some PDP elements were implicated in the protest by some people agitating that the Speaker should come from Northcentral

    “The likes of Bago, Wase, Betara, who are APC members but supported Dogara to be Speaker in 2015, are enjoying the backing of Dogara who is still interested in running for the office despite his party’s minority status.

    ”Dogara’s target is to secretly finance the trio of Bago, Wase and Betara of APC against Gbajabiamila, irrespective of the directives of Mr. President and the APC leadership.

    ”Dogara and his strategists want to split APC votes and get PDP lawmakers to garner block votes for Dogara who still enjoys the backing of a former Speaker,  Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.”

    A source in PDP Caucus said: “The Speaker has not declared whether or not he will be seeking a second term in office. But it can be inferred from the position of our party that all principal offices are not the exclusive preserve of the APC.

    ”I know Dogara is strategising by consulting all members on the desirability or otherwise  of a second term ticket. Some of our leaders are already flying the kites that PDP should prevail on Dogara to re-contest for the office.

    ”Dogara has the constitutional right to vie again for Speaker and it is left to members to decide whether or not to vote for him.”

    The Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, could not be reached for comments; he did not pick his calls.  He also did not respond to a text message pleading that he should either pick or return the calls of our correspondent.

  • ‘Gbajabiamila best choice for Speaker’

    A Lawmaker-elect, Musiliudeen Akinremi, has said he supports Femi Gbajabiamila to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives because “Gbajabiamila will usher in development and render quality services”.

    Akinremi, in a phone interview yesterday, said the support Gbajabiamila is getting will ensure that the House performs well by passing quality bills, enjoying harmonious relationship, robust leadership and quality debate.

    The lawmaker, who won his election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to represent Ibadan North Federal Constituency, said: “The Gbajabiamila declaration on Sunday, which was attended by the majority of the ninth Assembly members, has shown that he will enjoy our support and confidence in the green chamber.

    “Such development will foster seamless and timely passage of quality bills and amendments to existing ones, to quicken the next level agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari. With his experience spanning 16 years, Gbajabiamila will provide good leadership.”

    The new APC lawmakers across the six states in the Southwest last Friday pledged their allegiance to the party’s decision on house leadership structure.

    Led by their National Coordinator, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (Ondo State), and Akinremi, the lawmakers-elect, who met at Ibadan Business School, Bodija, said Southwest deserved the position of Speaker.

    They said as loyal party members, they had no objection to the party’s position on selection of the House leadership.

    They said: “We had a fruitful deliberation during the meeting, which lasted over three hours. We all agreed on the party’s supremacy and the need to support the success of the President Buhari administration when inaugurated on May 29.

    “We agreed to abide by the consensus arrangement of the party in choosing the House leadership. We pledged to protect the party’s interest, especially on the need to make APC stronger ahead of the 2023 general election in Yorubaland.”

  • Group backs Lawan, Gbajabiamila for NASS leadership

    A pro Buhari group, Initiative for Demonstrating Change in Nigeria has called on all members elect of the National Assembly to support the decision of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to elect Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker of the Federal House Representatives of the National Assembly respectively.

    Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Chinedu Ogah noted that the contributions of Lawan as the Majority Leader of the Senate for the unity of the country projected him as a core APC loyalist and man of the people.

    Ogah who delivered his Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi state with the highest votes in the South East to president Buhari called on all members of APC to imbibe the Party’s discipline to sustain the Adams Oshiomhole’s legacies in the party.

    Read Also: Gbajabiamila opposes Senate over Onnoghen

    He maintained that the choices of Lawan and Gbajabiamila are square pegs in square holes for the legislative fortunes of the country.

    The group urged members elect of the APC in the two Chambers of the national Assembly to display total loyalty to the supremacy of the party, to avoid the repeat of the scenario of the 8th Assembly.

    Ogah also called on members elect of other political parties to put the interest of the country above Party politics and forge a common front that would promote cohesion and unity in the nation’s legislative arm.

    He said: “Ahmed Lawan has displayed maturity as the true leader that will unite the national Assembly. He is a lover, intelligent, humble and believer in one Nigeria. We should elect him as the Senate President because he has displayed love that he does not put party interest above national interest”.

    “We are also supporting Femi Gbajabiamila for the speakership of the House of Representatives because despite his lost for the position in the outgoing Assembly, he was never antagonistic to the leadership of the green chamber. He displayed love and loyalty in the service of this country”.

    “The two candidates are God-fearing leaders who believe in the unity of Nigeria. We, the Initiative of Demonstrating Change in Nigeria strongly support the position of the National leadership of APC on the choices already adopted to avoid the aberration which led to the crises in the outgoing Assembly”, Ogah said.

    The group further congratulated the President elect, Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the President would consolidate on his war against corruption and as well improve on the shortcomings of his first term.

     

  • Ndume to consult colleagues over Senate president

    The “endorsement” of Senator Ahmed Lawan and House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Senate President and House Speaker in the Ninth National Assembly may not have gone down well with every member.

    Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), one of the senators eyeing Senate President, yesterday described the APC nod to Lawan as unconstitutional.

    He was reacting to reports that APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole announced the endorsement of Lawan and Gbajabiamila as the party’s candidates for the two exalted positions.

    According to him, he consulted widely and was given the go-ahead by party leaders to vie for the position.

    He insisted that the Constitution stipulates the procedure for the election of the Senate President.

    To him, the best thing for the party to do is to zone the slot of Senate President to a geo-political zone and allow the zone to make its choice.

    Ndume, who said he was not desperate for the position, plans to consult his colleagues on the way forward.

    Ndume said: “We were surprised on Monday when the national chairman of our party told us a decision had been taken to adopt Ahmad Lawan as candidate from the Northeast for the position of the President of the Senate.

    “The reason why I am shocked and I am sure that is the feeling of my colleagues, is that the constitutional provision for the emergence of the leadership of the Senate is clearly spelt out.

    “Section 51 (a) of the Constitution says that “there shall be a Senate President and Deputy Senate President who shall be elected by members of the House “.

    “Section 1 of the Constitution clearly states that ‘this Constitution is binding on all Nigerians and government agencies’.

    “It went further to say that any other law that contravenes the provision of the Constitution is null and void.

    “As a party that is supposed to be democratic and as a government that insists on allowing due process to prevail, this is strange. A candidate of APC normally emerges by one of three means, namely- consensus, indirect elections and direct primaries.”

    Ndume said he had tried his best and was “leaving this to God and those who elected me. I am going home to consult with elders who gathered themselves and asked me to contest. I will consult with them and then take a final decision.

    “The party has taken a decision.  I ultimately wait on the decision of Almighty God and my colleagues. That is what I will say for now.”

    Asked to explain what he meant by waiting for his colleagues to decide his fate, he said:  ”You should not be confused. The constitution is clear. It says the Senate shall elect its president and deputy.

    Read also: Buhari, APC chiefs endorse Lawan for Senate President

    “Like I said, my decision to contest for the position of the Senate President is not personal. Even my colleagues encouraged me to run. Not just the elected ones. They said I should vie for the position.  Even then, the party didn’t say it had elected Ahmad Lawan.  It only said it has nominated Lawan.”

    “I am not the one saying this. It is the decision of my colleagues.  I am one of those offering themselves to contest for the position.  I can’t even nominate myself.  Someone has to nominate and second me.

    “I can’t say that a candidate has been imposed on us. The decision is now left for my colleagues.”

    Ndume said: “I am not desperate.  I remain committed to the ideals and principles of President Muhammadu Buhari because he has been my mentor.  I don’t have a godfather, but I am a party loyalist.”

     

  • House suspends plenary to April 2

    The House of Representatives has suspended plenary to April 2 to enable members engage Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at committee level on the defense of 2019 budget proposal.

    This was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by the Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) at the plenary on Tuesday.

    In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker of House, Rep. Yussuf Lassun (APC-Osun), urged all the standing committees to work and conclude budget defense before May.

    He said that the 2019 Appropriation Bill should be ready for passage upon resumption of the House in May.

    NAN

  • Again Reps delay 2019 Money bill consideration

    The House of Representatives has failed to begin the consideration of the 2019 Appropriation bill today as earlier scheduled.

    The Bill was first listed for debate last Thursday but had to be dropped due to inability of most members to get copies of the bill, in addition to some mistakes noted in the figures.

    However, on being called to introduce the bill, the Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila pleaded that the debate be stepped down for another 24 hours to enable members have better grasp of the content of the bill.

    “I plead that the bill be stepped down because of its importance to enable members another 24 hours to go through it more thoroughly,” he said.

    Read Also: Reps postpone 2019 Budget debate

    The Presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, while ruling in favour of the plea recalled that copies of the bill only got to members last week.

    “So, we have to give the Leader the opportunity to step it down. Those interested in the debate should endeavour to register their names”, he added.

    Besides the reason adduced by the Leader, it was observed by The Nation that less than 50 lawmakers were on the floor which was less than the quorum of 120 members allowed by House rules.

  • Romance symbol on wheels

    • Celebrities adopt car gift to spouses as ultimate proof of love

    What do you do when your better half’s birthday is around the corner and you realise that a ‘mere’ cake won’t just be enough? If you are not a super-rich Nigerian, you may splash a few thousands or even a million on a nice gift. But some super-rich celebrities have gone the extra mile, splashing tens of millions of naira on very expensive gifts on their spouses during their birthdays.

    Some of these celebrities say they are rewarding the support and sacrifice their partners made to help them pursue their dreams. Others say it is meant to reward the peace they enjoy on the home front. Be it as it may, we are witnessing a move from designer bags, clothes and jewellery to some of the best automobiles that money can buy.

    Today, we take a look at some celebrities known to have showered their loved ones with expensive car gifts during the year. It has indeed been a year of huge surprises for a number of celebrity wives and girlfriends.

     

    Davido

    Superstar singer, Davido, loves to spoil his girlfriend, Chioma, silly with expensive gifts ranging from jewellery to clothes and bags. Many Nigerians will not forget April 30, 2018 in a hurry. It was the day Omo Baba Olowo (OBO) created a massive buzz on the internet when he staged a lavish birthday dinner for his girlfriend Chioma and surprised her with a N45 million Porsche car with a customised registration number –“ASSURANCE”

     

    Femi Gbajabiamila

    Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila is one of Lagos’ most prominent politicians. The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives is quiet, easy-going and not given to much noise.

    Although he is also a very prominent member of the House of Reps, Gbajabiamila hardly gets in the news for anything other than politics. But all that changed during the year when the federal legislator gifted his wife, Yemisi, a brand new Mercedes G-Wagon in celebration of her 50th birthday anniversary.

    Some of the shots taken at the private event somehow found their way to the social media and caused some controversy. But the legislator defended his action, insisting that he only rewarded his wife for all her labour of love.

     AY Makun

    Comedian AY is one of Nigeria’s most successful entertainers. He has not only made a success of comedy, he has also veered into movies and in the shortest time has become extremely successful.

    His surprise gift of a brand new Lexus LX 570 to his wife for their 10th wedding anniversary was the talk of the town for days. The car, which is worth tens of millions of naira, was delivered in November.

    AY also lavished his wife with praise, thanking her for her patience, perseverance and love.

    Yakubu Ayeigbeni

    Ex-Flying Eagles striker, Yakubu Ayegbeni, made sure that his wife, Yvonne, had an early Christmas when he gifted her a brand new Range Rover earlier in the week. Yakubu and Yvonne got married in 2008.

    The news of the car gift was announced by an excited Yvonne on social media, where she also thanked her husband.

    E-Money

    Big spender, entrepreneur, lover of luxury and Chief Executive Officer Five Star Music, Emeka Okonkwo, popularly known as E-Money, knows how to live the good life. The super celebrity wears some of the most exclusive accessories and has a very unique dress sense.

    It was not a surprise, therefore, when he dazzled his wife with a brand new ultra expensive Rolls Royce Phantom in the course of the year.

    Peter Okoye

    Peter Okoye, popularly known by the stage-name Mr. P, is one half of the defunct music duo, P-Square. Peter and his brothers, Paul and Jude, had a public falling out before the group broke up. During the crisis, there were whispers that the brothers’ disagreement centred on Peter’s wife, Lola. But Peter and Lola didn’t allow the crisis to get to them.

    The couple’s bond appeared to grow stronger and stronger even as the crisis got worse. Peter, who loves to praise and reassure his wife and family of his endless love, publicly surprised Lola with a brand new Range Rover Sport during the year.