House of Reps Speakership: Dogara Camp Rejects APC Mock Election for Gbajabiamila
The battle for the leadership of the House of Representatives took a new turn in June 2015 after the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted a mock election that produced Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as its preferred candidate for Speaker.
The exercise, conducted by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Saturday, June 6, 2015, was immediately rejected by lawmakers supporting another contender, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.
One of those who opposed the process was the then House of Representatives member-elect for Asa/Ilorin West Constituency, Hon. Razak Atunwa, a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Shortly after Gbajabiamila emerged from the exercise, Atunwa took to Twitter to express his opposition to the process.
He wrote that he and other Dogara supporters had walked out of what he described as an “ambush” primary organised by the APC leadership.
Atunwa argued that the exercise was not properly communicated to all the lawmakers and alleged that there had been no prior notice, guidelines or agreed rules for the process.
He also claimed that a significant number of members were absent from the exercise.
According to Atunwa, the election of the Speaker should be conducted on the floor of the House of Representatives by all members during the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly on Tuesday, June 9, 2015.
Dogara Group Rejects Gbajabiamila’s Emergence
In a related development, the 8th Assembly Consolidation Group supporting Yakubu Dogara also rejected the APC’s mock election.
The group’s coordinator at the time, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, said the members had attended the meeting convened by the APC leadership believing that the party wanted to hear the positions of the various aspirants and their supporters ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly.
According to a statement attributed to the group, its members began to notice campaign activities in support of Gbajabiamila shortly after the meeting commenced.
The group said ballot papers were subsequently brought into the venue, while APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, informed the lawmakers that a mock, straw or primary election would be conducted.
The Dogara group said it raised several objections to the proposed exercise.
Among other things, the group referred to a statement previously attributed to then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari concerning the emergence of the National Assembly leadership.
It also argued that since both leading aspirants were members of the APC, lawmakers should be allowed to resolve the matter through the constitutional process when the House reconvened.
The group further questioned why members had not been given adequate notice if the party intended to conduct an election.
It described the process as an “ambush” and alleged that the party leadership had already taken a position in favour of Gbajabiamila.
The group also argued that the APC constitution did not provide for a primary election to determine the Speaker of the House of Representatives and maintained that the Speaker should be elected in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House.
The lawmakers subsequently demanded that the process be postponed for at least 24 hours to enable them to consult and mobilise their supporters.
According to the group, APC National Chairman Oyegun initially agreed to halt the process, but the National Vice Chairman, North, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, later insisted that the exercise should proceed.
The Dogara supporters then walked out of the venue and addressed journalists.
They maintained that the election of the Speaker was not solely an APC affair because members of the House from other political parties would also participate in the election on the floor.
The group therefore declared that it was not a party to the APC mock election and insisted that the Speaker of the House of Representatives could only be elected within the chamber by the members of the House.
The actual election was scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2015, when the 8th National Assembly was inaugurated.
Source: City People Magazine
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