A member of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, may have decided not to respect the zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in his quest to occupy the seat of the Speaker of the House.
According to Dogara, he will not respect the zoning policy if it would guarrantee fairness and justice.
Dogara, from Bauchi State in the North-East is seen by many as the main challenger for the seat of speaker to House Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila has been the frontrunner for the seat, especially with the understanding that the party, APC, has zoned the position to the South-West, with the President of the Senate likely to go the North East where Dogara hails from.
However, Dogara said on Thursday that the Senate and the House were two different chambers and that a decision taken in respect of one should not be allowed to affect the other.
According to the lawmaker, the North-East as the poorest geo-political zone in the country, desires the support of other zones in the sharing of political offices. He added that zoning the senate presidency to the zone does not in any way affect his ambition.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, Dogara said he represents the aspirations of a zone that is the poorest in the country.
“There are candidates from other zones that already holding leadership positions in the APC, yet they are running for the position of Speaker. Why are questions not being asked in their own case?”
Dogara, who reasoned that his party, the APC, must be having a tough time at the moment, counselled the party to get things right so that it does not hurt the sensibilities of members.
The speakership ambition of the lawmaker has already gotten the backing of no less than 22 members, including the Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers.
Those backing him include Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed (Kwara APC); Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia PDP); Adams Jagaba (Kaduna APC); Mr. Emmanuel Ekon (Akwa Ibom PDP); Binta Maigeri (Gombe PDP); Mr. Ezikiel Adaji (Benue PDP); Mr. Abubakar Kannike (Kwara APC); Mr. Linus Okorie (Ebonyi PDP); and Mr. Herman Hembe (Benue APC).
Reacting to Dogara’s challenge, a member from Lagos State and Senator-elect, Mr. Solomon Olamilekan, said Hon. Gbajabiamila has close to “85 per cent support” of members for the speakership.
According to Olamilekan, “over 200 members” attended a meeting with Gbajabiamila on Wednesday where they gave him their full backing.
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