The nigerian national Assembly

Close to the 7th National Assembly, the race for the speakership of the House of Representatives is less than settled. But the House looks to be in high spirits as members have narrowed the search to Ajibola Saubana Ajibola, 48 and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, 45. Also in the race is Hon Adeola Mulikat Akande, 51. A lawyer, she was first elected into the House in 2007.
The factors that will determine the next Speaker of the House of Representatives have excluded aspirants from the South East. And this has forced the ambitious lawmakers from the South East to shuttle between the Ajibola camp and Tambuwal camp as they look forward to settling for the deputy speaker position.
The incumbent Chief Whip of the House, Emeka Ihedioha, a leading contender from the South East, is angling to grab the deputy speaker and there are reports that he has deployed resources to support the Tambuwal campaign. Ihedioha is the main brain behind the solidarity and unusual political unity in the South East against the retention of the position of Speaker by the South West. However, it was learnt that the choice of Ihedioha is raising concerns and some lawmakers in the team were have suggested that a search be opened for an alternative to Ihedioha. A source in the camp said last night, “it is true but he is a very accomplished member of the House from the South East. We will work round it.”
As the horse-trading continues, the two camps are making efforts to woo the other parties for support. And in this regard, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is seen as the beautiful bride.
The Tambuwal camp claims that it has struck a working arrangement with members of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The CPC caucus in the House has not yet said anything in favour of any candidate. Perhaps the only way to x-ray the political manipulations and maneuvers is by looking at the factors working for the camps.
Tambuwal, a lawyer, was first elected into the House in 2003 and has been re-elected twice since then. His candidacy is propelled by a group of lawmakers who oppose the retention of zoning for the leadership of the House by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His support base is the North West, South East, but he has an even wider support from a few other zones.
According to those supporting Tambuwal’s cause, the desire to push him forward was borne out of considerations like:
1. Tambuwal’s rich legislative background having been in the House since 2003.
2. the image of the House required serious improvement
3. PDP ignored the need to stabilise the House when it reeled out its zoning formula in the National Assembly
4. since the retention of the present zoning formula was aimed at the stability, which Senate President David Mark has enthroned in the Senate, should not this apply in the House?
5. the argument against the North holding the offices of the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker and PDP National Chairman at the same time is not unusual. They cite the example of 1979 when the South produced the Vice President, the Senate President, the Speaker, the party chairman when the President was from the North.
6. that there is no compelling reason for the PDP to restrict itself to the zoning formula at the expense of the stability of the House, after it abandoned the principle of zoning for Jonathan.
7. that the leadership of the PDP fails to appreciate the enormity of the problems in the House and therefore cannot offer solutions regarding the kind of leadership required to deal with the problems.
8. that the party leaders pretended to be retaining the zoning formula even when they had ulterior motives.
9. the question of the massive loss of seats is also noted
10. the number of members elected under the PDP to the House at the moment has hampered the opportunity for the House to source for the best.
A source close to the Tambuwal camp said, “we are determined to elect our own leader in the House. We are convinced that we can manage the failure of our leaders if we elect them than if they are imposed on us by other interests. This is also our own way of entrenching democracy.
“Essentially this is a House project designed to insist on independence of the Legislature. Imposition doesn’t work in the House. Moreover, if the Senate can pick its own leaders, why will that not apply to the House? They talk about ranking there, and we talk about experience.”
But a problem the group will contend with is the PDP leadership, which has viewed their action as anti-party. The lawmakers supporting Tambuwal are made to understand that without the support of the party they wont have secured reelection. They were also been told that the party might not support them in future if they refuse to tow the party’s line on Ajibola.
Tambuwal, from Sokoto State is also running against the interests of Vice President Namadi Sambo who is also from the same North West zone. Members of the group have deliberately avoided meeting with the party national chairman and the Vice President, amidst efforts to get Tambuwal to retrace his steps. It recently emerged that the pressure coming from the state governors is said to have added to the problems faced by Tambuwal. Most of the governors from the North including Sokoto and North West are from the PDP.
Ajibola’s candidacy gained currency when the PDP had decided to retain the existing zoning formula in the National Assembly. A lawyer also, Ajibola was elected in 2007, he played an outstanding role in the House probe into Federal Government’s expenditure in the power sector, a role his colleagues interpreted as a defence for former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. This perception has attracted criticism against his candidature, as many returning lawmakers believe that a Ajibola leadership would make the House a stooge in the hands of Obasanjo. This is a huge battle Ajibola has got to contend with so far as his camp has tried to explain that Ajibola’s perceived support for Obasanjo in the power probe was nothing but an attempt to ensure that the House complied with the ethics of legislative investigation including of fairness and innocence until proven guilty.
Ajibola was the only member of that Power probe committee who wrote a minority report against the original report submitted by the Elumelu-led committee.
His campaign message has centered on a five-point agenda including running an open and transparent leadership, creation of enabling environment for good laws made by the legislative arm to sail through, and in a manner that would touch on the lives of all Nigerians.
He has the support of the PDP going for him and this ironically can also be a major handicap with the House determined to resist the influence of external factors in the search of its leadership. After the meeting of the extended PDP caucus, which ratified the retention of the position of speaker in the South West, the zone’s caucus of the PDP met and chose Ajibola and communicated the choice to the party’s national leadership and President Goodluck Jonathan. Sambo is coordinating the campaign together with the acting National Chairman of PDP, Bello. Also, the 15 governors of PDP from the North met in Abuja and endorsed the decision of the PDP leadership to retain the existing zoning formula regarding the leadership of the National Assembly.
The choice of Dogara Yakubu last week as the running mate for Ajibola has equally boosted the team, as there are speculations that the PDP is playing the Dogara card to stabilise the team.
Dogara, one of the king makers in the House is a member of the kitchen cabinet of the incumbent Speaker Dimeji Bankole. He was the Vice Chairman of New Agenda Forum (NAF), an umbrella association of new members-elect that was formed as a pressure group, which played a crucial role in the emergence of principal officers of the House. He was appointed a member of the Ad-Hoc Selection Committee responsible for the structure and composition of standing committees of the House.
Between 2007 and 2010, he was Chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise from where he moved last year to the House Services Committee as Chairman till date. It is to his credit that his activities as chairman of these committees have been devoid of controversies. In fact, he rather deployed his skill to good effect when he was appointed Chairman, Nigeria Customs Service probe panel, member House Contract Scam probe panel and member, Hijack of Fishing Vessels and Maritime Security Probe Panel.
However, Ajibola is strongly criticised on account of allegations of being a lone-ranger with an uncompromising personality. Many believe that there would not be any difference between Ajibola and Bankole in terms of legislative stubbornness and rascality.
In the meantime, a strategy to ease the pressure from the PDP and the governors was devised last week by the Tambuwal camp, which influenced the House to change the method of voting from open to open secret voting. By this open-secret method, the party would not be able to detect how lawmakers voted. This was made possible by majority of the serving lawmakers in the House that have sympathy for Tambuwal and have vowed to resist the imposition or interference by the party leadership and the Presidency in the choice of Speaker of the House.
Akande, 51, is regarded as a very articulate and intelligent lawmaker, her strongest point is that she has a very humble disposition. And this has made her very acceptable to those kingmakers in the House who are opposed to electing a speaker that could turn out to be a bully.
Her supporters are counting on possible resistance by lawmakers against what they called imposition of speaker. A Mulikat speakership can only be realised if majority of lawmakers decide to abandon the dictate of the PDP leadership. It was gathered that some ranking lawmakers had started lobbying the PDP leadership to allow members choose whoever they wanted from the South West instead of narrowing the speakership to only one person from the South West zone.
The days ahead of the inauguration are certainly going to be tense in the House as the lawmakers approach the crucial time where the decisions will be taken by either of the groups and their supporters.
Meanwhile, the PDP is unhappy with some party leaders, which it observed were playing double standards in this speakership race.
According to a principal officer in the House, “it has become clear that some party leaders would declare support for Ajibola in the daytime and go back to encourage Tambuwal in the midnight. We are also aware of the secret meetings, which Tambuwal and his group are having with some prominent persons who simply want to use the opportunity provided by this speakership contest to settle scores with the party.