President
Muhammadu Buhari has scheduled a meeting with members of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, in the House to solve crisis within the group.
It would be
the first time that the president would meet with both camps of the House since
the June 9 election that Speaker Yakubu Dogara beat party favourite, Femi
Gbajabiamila, in the leadership contest. Confirming the meeting, the Senior
Special Assistant to President Buhari on media and publicity, Mallam Garba
Shehu, said the meeting will hold at the New Banquet Hall of the presidential
villa at 5:00 pm.
Meanwhile,
members of the Gbajabiamila-led Loyalist Group in the House, yesterday, vowed
to press on with their demand for enthronement in the four principal officers’
positions.
At a press
conference in Abuja, the group dismissed as inconsequential defections from the
group to the Speaker Yakubu Dogara group vowing that they remained unflinching
in their demands.
The unity of
the Gbajabiamila group was, however, questioned following the absence of some
of the arrowheads of the camp including Gbajabiamila, Mohammed Monguno, Pally
Iriase and Ado Doguwa among others. Doguwa’s fidelity to the group became an
issue following claims last night that majority of the APC members have
resolved to project him for the position of House Leader against the aspiration
of Gbajabiamila for the position.
Accusing the
speaker of a policy of divide and rule, members of the Gbajabiamila faction at
a press conference expressed regrets that the speaker was not prepared for
peace despite his claims.
A statement
read by Nasiru Daura representing Zango/Baure Federal Constituency of Katsina
State on the platform of the APC said: “We had hoped that with a difference of
just eight votes between Dogara and Femi, Speaker Dogara would have realised
the need to cultivate a united House of Representatives.”
Noting what
it claimed as efforts to reduce their strength through juicy offers to their
members, he said: “We are, however, aware of the trojan offers of Party
Principal Officers positions being made to individuals in our group in their
individual capacities in order to lure them from our group. We hereby restate
for the avoidance of any doubt that this struggle is not about Femi
Gbajabiamila, Yakubu Dogara, Alhasan Ado Doguwa, MT Monguno or Pally Iriase,
this is about being loyal and committed to party’s manifesto which amongst
others includes the Fight against corruption by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This is all
about preventing the PDP from hijacking the National Assembly from our party
and imposing its corrupted will on President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda for
change. We hereby assure all those that voted for the APC, that we will never
betray the trust you reposed in us as your elected Representatives in the
House, due to our selfish interest. We wish to inform you that when you fight
corruption, corruption fights back and this is part of the debilitating
measures already at work.
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