Cttee headship: Group denounces plot to derail lawmakers who stepped down for Abbas ~ Truth Reporters

 

...asks Gbajabiamila to steer clear selection process 

A group under the aegis of Renewed Hope Professionals, RHP, has denounced moves by House of Representatives leadership to derail an accord before June 13 elections made by lawmakers who stepped down for Hon Tajudeen Abbas to emerge speaker of the tenth House. 

The group in a statement signed by its Coordinator, Kinu Kabirwa has advised the leadership to respect the gentleman's agreement to avoid unnecessary rancour as the House gathers momentum to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. 

Apparently peeved by the overwhelming influence of immediate past speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, the group advised him to face his new duties and steer clear from the selection process as his intervention is going to cause ripples in the tenth House. 

According to the group, the agreement was sealed with a proviso that "all the contending lawmakers who stepped down to allow easy passage for Abass to retain their previous committees. 

 "It was collectively agreed that those who stepped down should be given their previous committees and that's the position of things until Gbajabiamila started singing another song. 

"Gbajabiamila and the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima was part of the agreement and this is coming to the lawmakers as a rude shock because they never expected that they would backpedal at the last minute. 

"Information made available by sources point to a different direction not the original direction of making them retain their previous committees. 

"It was a gentleman's agreement and they fervently hope they will not derail at the expense of those who made sacrifices to the ruling party to deliver presiding officers. 

"Gbajabiamila is playing a spoiler's role in this whole thing and the guys are not smiling at all and this may lead to a shaky start for the tenth House if not properly managed. 

"He (Gbajabiamila) should not destroy the institution that he has massively benefited from as these lawmakers that he is trying to malign now once supported him to emerge in 2019 as speaker. 

The group calls for a selection process devoid of favouritism, nepotism, loyalty as competence and ability to manage committee affairs should remain the watchword of the selectors. 

"When competence is sacrificed to grease the ego of of a few it leads to destabilization and confusion at the end of the day, " the group submitted. 

Recall that except for former Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase and Sani Jaji went ahead to contest against the Abass/Kalu ticket all other contenders stepped down to create an easy passage for Tajudeen Abass who eventually emerged as speaker.