Gbajabiamila, Monguno not imposed on us - Philip Shaibu

Ahead of the election of ‎the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, the member-elect representing Etsako Federal Constituency of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress did not impose the choice of House leadership on the lawmakers.

Femi Gbajabiamila

The immediate past Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, had polled 154 out of the 183 votes cast by members who registered for last Saturday’s mock election organised by the party.

The camp of the Chairman, Committee on House Services and a contender for the top position, Yakubu Dogara, had walk out of the exercise, rejecting the outcome of party primary.

But Shaibu‎ told journalists in Benin on Monday that the action of the aggrieved lawmakers would not affect the emergence of Gbajabiamila as Speaker, which he said was “an internal arrangement.”

The lawmaker-elect said, “It is not affecting anything; it’s an internal arrangement. As I speak to you, both those that walked out and those that are in, we are working together to produce a Speaker of our own. We freely have chosen Honourable Femi Gbajiamila and Honourable Muhammed Monguno as our Deputy Speaker.

“There is no going back about it. These people were not imposed on us. They were chosen‎ by us; they were not influenced by anybody externally. We decided and we cast ballot to choose them and the wish of the majority, which is overwhelming, has to have its way.”

Shaibu, who was the immediate past Majority Leader in the Edo State House of Assembly, argued that decision of the party to nominate the former Minority Leader as its sole candidate was a clear “reward” for his performance as a leader in the House and urged other lawmakers to support the move of the party to reposition the House.

Gbajabiamila, Monguno not imposed on us - Philip Shaibu