…Ready for any voting formula

The Director-General of the Femi/Wase Campaign Council, Abdulmumin Jibrin said yesterday that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Idris Ahmed Wase are ready for any voting formula on Tuesday when the 360 members of the 9th House will elect new leaders.

He said about 60 Reps-elect from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are rooting for Gbajabiamila.

The APC itself boasts of 223 members-elect.

He said the analysis of those who have signed up for the Gbajabiamila-Wase ticket will be released to the public today.

Jibrin, who was updating reporters on the activities of the campaign council ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly on Tuesday said they were ready for whatever voting formula -secret or open -adopted for the election.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has also pledged his support and that of the 24 Reps elect from the state for Gbajabiamila

“In all our meetings and strategy sessions, we have never discussed voting pattern. Although voting pattern is not within our duty, whether it is secret or open ballot, we are ready and we are going to do,” Jibrin said.

“Gbajabiamila and Wase are not bothered about voting pattern on Tuesday at all. We have campaigned on issues, we have done our homework. We are comfortable; we are going to win this election.”

Asked if the APC members-elect are united, Jibrin said: “We have 223 members and our camp is more aggressive and united than in 2015.

“The reality is that PDP has been split into two factions. We have closed a deal with one faction. But as a safety net, we have not foreclosed talks with any group. At present, we have over 60 members of PDP working with us.

“Once bitten, twice shy, we have done everything humanly possible to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2015.

“Four years ago, there was complacency on the part of APC because the party was only guarding its votes while PDP was poaching its members. We won’t allow a repeat of this.

“A lot of things are working to Gbajabiamila’s advantage. He has massive support across party lines.”

Jibrin expressed regrets that there had been desperation by some people to stop Gbajabiamila from emerging as the next Speaker.

Read also: Agenda for Gbajabiamila, Wase

He named two members-elect, Umar Bago and Emeka Nwajuba as the brains behind alleged plot to truncate Gbajabiamila’s aspiration.

He said Bago was being sponsored by the immediate past Speaker of the House, Mr. Yakubu Dogara against Gbajabiamila.

Jibrin added: ” I have sat down with Dogara, I told him the best option for you is to embrace Femi Gbajabiamila but he has not done so.

“I was expecting Dogara to pay the APC back in the like manner the APC has done for him. This is the first time the Speaker came from the opposition and it was gracious enough that the APC-led Federal Government tolerated him. The APC did not intimidate him, President Muhammadu Buhari and our party have been extremely tolerant.

“At the last count, we have had seven cases in court to stop Gbajabiamila but they have failed. They have used religion against him and Wase but in the National Assembly, we don’t even talk of religion.

“There is a huge desperation but we have prepared for the whole of the scenarios. We will make history on June 11.”

Jibrin said desperate politicians were trying to use Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s factor against Gbajabiamila but the dummy failed.

He said: “Well, I am not a novice in Nigerian politics. When your image goes so strong, people say many things about you.

“Who in the National Assembly does not have a mentor? When we want to give a dog a bad name, we call it a godfather. The National Assembly is not in isolation of that.

“Why are they not commending Tinubu who has invested 17 years of his political career on Gbajabiamila and mentored him to the top?

“The problem is not Tinubu, it is the people who want to fight Buhari; those who want to fight APC; and the people who want to take advantage to settle scores.”

Ganduje backs Gbajabiamila

Mr. Gbajabiamila himself was full of praise yesterday for Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State for being the first governor to back him for the race.

He said the governor’s action showed him as a proponent of harmonious partnership between the Executive and Legislature at the national level.

He spoke when he led a delegation of 100 Reps-elect on a thank-you visit to Ganduje at the Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

He said:”Kano was the first state to demonstrate to our team its commitment, support and unflinching solidarity. All states queue behind you. We appreciate this show of love for the about to be inaugurated 9th Assembly, as well as the nation in general.”

He asked the governor to “kindly help us in the last push of our contest.”

Responding, the governor assured Gbajabiamila of the votes of the 24 members-elect from Kano State.

“While assuring you of my unrelenting support, I am at the same time re-emphasizing that all our 24 members-elect are solidly behind your contest and that of your running mate, Ahmed Wase,” Ganduje said.

“We have very few others, who are from other opposition parties, but they are all behind your candidature. When Lagos state has homogenous members-elect, Kano’s case is heterogeneous.”

Ganduje revealed that the main reason behind the overwhelming support from the Kano legislators was because they promptly understood his body language that he was more in tune with Mr Gbajabiamila.

“You know body language could be more accurate than spoken words or recommendation. While words can sometimes be contradictory, there is no contradiction, whatsoever in body language.

“We are all for you because of one important issue. This issue is institutional memory. Like in the United States of America, which we copy, you will see a legislator spending many years in legislative house, so as to master legislative work and all other requisites for productive legislative work.

“With Gbajabiamila’s fifth term to the House and Wase’s fourth term, I think it cannot be wrong for us to say, yes we are in safer hands.”