“To lead the House of Assembly, especially the Lagos State House, goes beyond the mere ability. There are other qualities. These include competence, charisma, good moral standing, ability to carry members along as well as having the confidence of colleagues, and most importantly, the ability to sustain the current tempo of achievement in the House”
The race for the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly is gathering momentum. Eight contenders are lobbying All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, members-elect and other stakeholders for the position. Who succeeds outgoing Speaker Yemi Ikuforiji? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the scramble for parliamentary power in the Centre of Excellence.
Kemi Ikuforiji, economist and former polytechnic teacher, will bow out as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly next month after 10 years of meritorious parliamentary service. In 2005, when he was elected as the Speaker, he was barely two years in the House as the representative of the Epe Constituency. He succeeded a party colleague and lawyer from Agbowa, Hon. Joko Pelumi, who was removed, following a friction between him and other legislators.
As he bows out, no fewer than eight ranking lawmakers are struggling to succeed him. In their respective constituencies, they are acclaimed party leaders. They will not be green horns when the House is inaugurated. The eight are from the three senatorial districts. None of them is a pushover.
Out of the eight, Hon. Rotimi Abiru is the only principal officer. Thus, he towering stature as a man of experience. Besides, he is perceived as a man of honour and integrity; brilliant and cerebral. Abiru is the Deputy Chief Whip, held in high esteem by colleagues. He is fondly called the ‘Barometer of the House.’ The Ikorodu-born politician represents Somolu Constituency 11. Before he was elected as a legislator in 2007, he was a supervisory councillor in Bariga Council. He was re-elected in 2007 and during the recent general elections. Abiru is a top contender for the exalted seat.
Also in the race is Hon. Wasiu Sanni Eshilokun, a prince of Lagos and graduate of Agricultural Economics from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. He was a member of the House between 1999 and 2003. The loyal party man has an intimidating political credential. Until recently, he was the state secretary of the ruling party. To that extent, he is a party elder; tested and trusted. He is from Lagos Island where he has served as the council chairman for six years. If the decision to elect the Speaker is the prerogative of APC gerontocrats, the pendulum of victory may swing towards Eshinlokun’s direction during the in-house election.
The third contender is Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, a native of Itori, Ogun State. He has spent 16 years in the parliament. If the out-going Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, has not lost-re-election, he and Obasa will be slugging it out. But, despite his status as a high ranking lawmaker, many of his colleagues do not see him as a likely successor to Ikuforiji. One of his colleagues said that he may not be a stabilising factor. Obasa, the Chairman of the Budget Committee, represents Agege Constituency 11.
Another aspirant, Hon. Funmi Tejuoso, was elected for the third time in the last election. The lawyer from Mushin Constituency has served as the Deputy Speaker. But, she was removed by her colleagues, following some allegations. Efforts by a top party leader, also a lawyer, to get her back to the seat failed in 2011 as the majority insisted that she did not deserve a second chance. A petition against the Speaker was sent to the party secretariat on the issue. But, the House was adamant. The gender sentiment may also not work for her because the deputy governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, is a woman. Thus, there is no evidence of political discrimination against women in Lagos APC.
A legislator, who reflected on Tejuoso’s impeachment, said the House has not forgotten the incident. “Some legislators visited Mushin, Tejuoso’s base, for oversight function. Thugs attacked tham. Hon. Adelabu Onibiyo was part of the delegation. They felt that the thugs were incited,” he said.
Tejuosho denied his involvement in the assault against the lawmakers. But, she could not escapte the hammer. However, she has remained vocal on the floor. Currently, she is the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance. If she has not been impeached before, she would be enjoying a high rating as a power broker in the House.
Other contenders-Lanre Ogunyemi from Ojo, Sunai Agunbiade from Ikorodu and Gbolahan Yishawu from Eti-Osa-are not serious contenders. Ogunyemi is fondly called “senior party member” in the parliament, having served as the Alliance for Democracy (AD) secretary and Special Adviser to the Deputy Governor before he was elected into the House in 2011. Agunbiade, a lawyer from Ikorodu, has made mark as a student union leader and youth activist. Recently, he was drafted into the race by some activist-lawyers. But, he appears to be lukewarm.
There are three issues on the front burner. These are zoning, merit and preference by the ruling party. There has been no categorical statement by the party on zoning, although it is being inferred. Since the party has zoned the governorship to the East District, and the deputy governor-elect is from the West, party members from the Central District believe that the next Speaker should come from the Central.
Historically, party preference and zoning are inter-twined. Second Republic legislator Oba Olatunji Hamzat, who had vied for the Speakership, wrote in his book: ‘Reflections of a pubic man,’ that the party is supreme. In 1979, shortly before he left the House for the State Executive Council as Commissioner for Transport, he had discontinued his bid for the Speakership in deference to the wish of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), which rooted for Hon. Oladimeji Oshinnowo, a lawyer from Ikorodu, who eventually became the Speaker. “Osinnowo was the candidate of their choice. No one can fight such machinery and win. Retreat was valorous and prudent. That much I chose, rallying behind the party’s choice without complaint,” Hamzat wrote.
But, zoning, although expedient, is not sacrosanct. The UPN governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, is from Central. He lived at Ilupeju, Lagos West. But, he has never hidden the fact that Omu-Aran, Kwara State, is his root. His deputy, Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo, an Awori from Agege/Ikeja, has his roots in Ile-Ife. In fact, in 2003, Hon. Oladimeji Longe was elected Speaker, thereby repudiating zoning.
In the Third Republic, the governor, the late Chief Michael Otedola, came from the East. The Speaker, Abayomi Kinyomi, an engineer, came from Ojo, West District. Also, in 1999, when Governor Bola Tinubu came from the West, the Speaker, Olorunnimbe Mamora, came from Kosofe, East District. In 2003, a green horn, Pelumi from the East District, succeeded Mamora. When he was impeached, he was succeeded by Ikuforiji, also from the East. But, in 2011, Ikuforji who sought re-election into the House from Ikeja Constituency, Lagos West, still retained his position as the Speaker.
APC members who want Eshilokun as the Speaker have adduced some reasons. They have pointed out that the slot has been automatically zoned to the Central since the governor-elect is from the East and his deputy is from the West. Also, they said that the Central has not produce any Speaker, unlike the East that has enjoyed the slot for uninterrupted 16 years. In their view, the East cannot produce the governor and the Speaker at the same time.
An APC chieftain, who is rooting for Eshinlokun, said: “The West also does not deserve the Speaker. The deputy governor, the party chairman, Otunba Dele Ajomale, the deputy chairman, Chief Funso Ologunde, the National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, the Southwest Women Leader, Chief Kemi Nelson and the Southwest Youth Leader are from the West. Yet, the West lost five local governments in the recent general elections. Are they now asking for compensation for failure?”
He added: “The zoning favours Eshinlokun from the Central. He is a ranking lawmaker. He has a rich political and administrative experience, having served as a legislator, Executive Secretary, Lagos Micro-Financial Institutions, Special Adviser on Parliamentary Matters/Liaison Officer, Chairman of local council for six years and state party secretary.”
But, supporters of Abiru have said that he is the most qualified legislator, having spent eight years in the House before his recent re-election. Abiru is also a principal officer. The Deputy Chief Whip is popular among the 20 returning legislators. Apparently throwing his weight behind his candidature, the out-going Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, said that experience is critical to effective legislative leadership. “To lead the House of Assembly, especially the Lagos State House, goes beyond the mere ability. There are other qualities. These include competence, charisma, good moral standing, ability to carry members along as well as having the confidence of colleagues, and most importantly, the ability to sustain the current tempo of achievement in the House. The next Speaker should have these qualities,” he said.
Abiru, according to returning legislators, is a strong contender. He holds a Masters Degree in Chemistry from the University of Lagos, Akoka. He had also attended leadershýp traýnýng, workshops and semýnars in the Leadershýp Institute, Arlýngton, Výrgýnýa, Harvard Kennedy School in the United States and the Business School, Unýversýty of Cambrýdge. “Lagosians know his root. His father was a judge from Ikorodu. Justice Akanbi Abiru, a Second Republic senator, has good children and Rotimi is one of them. But, he also epitomises humility, calmness good character. I think he enjoys acceptability among ranking lawmakers,” said a returning legislator.
At the weekend a lawmaker told our correspondent that the APC Natioal Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and other party leaders have a role to play in the emergency of the new Speaker.
When contacted at the weekend about their ambition to become the next Speaker, the leading aspirants said that it is not a do-or-die affair.
“There are three issues on the front burner. These are zoning, merit and preference by the ruling party. There has been no categorical statement by the party on zoning, although it is being inferred. Since the party has zoned the governorship to the East District, and the deputy governor-elect is from the West, party members from the Central District believe that the next Speaker should come from the Central”
