Representatives.
This is as some of his loyalists yesterday denied being part of a memo to the National
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on the
zoning of principal offices.
Speaker, Yakubu Dogara had last Thursday replied Oyegun that he could not carry out
the party’s order because it was against equity and fairness which the federal character
principle preaches.
Explaining that the North East and South West had already produced the Speaker and
his deputy, Dogara proposed that the House Leader should come from the North West
(with 86 APC members) Deputy House Leader, from the North Central (with 33 APC
members), while Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip would come from the South South
and South East respectively.
But the Gbajabiamila group on Monday, faulted the Speaker’s position alleging that he
had jettisoned zoning during the election of presiding officers of the House on July 9.
The group in the letter to Oyegun signed by Hon. Nasiru Sani Zangon-Daura, alleged
that Dogara’s reply to Oyegun’s directives was fraught with fundamental flaws and that
going by the House Standing Rule, the South-East that has only two APC members,
who are first time members, were not qualified to occupy any principal office.
Surprisingly, two members of the group yesterday claimed that at no time did the group
meet to take such decision.
In the statement titled, “Let’s sheathe the swords and embrace peace” signed by
Muktari Dandutse representing Funtua/Dandume Federal Constituency of Katsina State
and Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe representing Tofa/Rimin Gado Federal Constituency of Kano
State, the members said there was no time they agreed to write the letter to the
chairman.
The letter read in parts: “Our attention has been drawn to a letter dated July 18, 2015
purportedly signed by Hon Sani Zangon Daura and addressed to the National Chairman
of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun on behalf of the Loyalists
Group.
“In the said letter to the National Chairman, Hon. Nasiru Zangon Daura insisted that
party supremacy must reign in the selection of four principal officers in the house. While
we categorically reaffirm our membership of the Loyalists Group and our unflinching
allegiance to the supremacy of the party, we wish to make public that the said letter did
not emanate from any formal or collective meeting of the group.
“We make bold to state that the views expressed by Hon. Nasiru Zangon Daura was his
personal opinion and never has the Loyalists Group met or agreed to write formally to
the leadership of the party in reaction to last week’s Speaker Dogara’s entreaties to the
national chairman of our great party on the way forward.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the last time the group met was immediately after the
maiden meeting of the APC National Executive Committee, NEC, held in Abuja on July
3, 2015, where we accepted to engage the Hon. Aminu Tambuwal’s -led Reconciliation
Committee.
“Let us stress, that it was at this NEC meeting that the party recognized Senator Bukola
Saraki as the Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House
of Representatives.
“Similarly, it was after this NEC meeting that we accepted to cooperate with the
Tambuwal’s Reconciliation Committee under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, Governors Forum.
“In fact, up to this moment, we are confident in the Tambuwal’s Reconciliation
Committee as we await its report.
“While we want to use this medium to dissociate ourselves from the letter by Hon.
Nasiru Zangon Daura to the leadership of the party, which to us is his personal views,
we remain resolute in the conflict resolution mechanism embarked by the leadership of
the party through the APC Governors Forum.
“We still maintain our spirit of give and take through negotiations with the Consolidation
Group, in the same vain, we salute and commend the Speaker, House of
Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara’s posture on his magnanimity and compromise
disposition, by conceding two major principal positions to the Loyalist Group all in a bid
to promote peace and stability in the green chamber.
“We therefore urge the APC, Leadership to throw sentiments aside and accept the olive
branch extended by the Speaker, so as to achieve amicable resolution of this lingering
impasse in the House of Representatives as this will ensure peace, stability and
progress for the onerous national assignment and expectations bestowed on all of us.
“We want to also use this medium to call on all members of the Loyalists Group
nationwide to bury their hatchet, embrace peace and take Nigeria first, above personal
interests”.
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