Gbajabiamila, Wase Clash at Plenary

Udora Orizu in Abuja 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his Deputy Hon. Idris Wase openly clashed during plenary on Wednesday over the announcement by the Speaker that the Order Paper for Thursday be made lighter to allow members attend the official Commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies(NILDS).

Before adjourning the plenary, the Speaker announced the NILDS permanent site along Airport Road will be commissioned by 3.00pm on Thursday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He asked the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Hassan Fulata to ensure that the order paper was not clouded with the day’s business so that the House can adjourn early enough for the event.

But Deputy Speaker, Wase said the primary business of the House was lawmaking and other official businesses, adding that the commissioning of NILDS headquarters was not enough to adjourn the House.

Wase said members willing to attend the commission could do so while the business of the House is not disrupted.

But the Speaker said: “DS, may be the importance of NILDS is not clear to you like it is to some of us. We are not adjourning the House for members to attend the commissioning. I said the order paper should be made lighter because I will attend the commissioning.

But Wase fired back saying “Mr. Speaker, the House is not about I, but us”.

Gbajabiamila first ignored his Deputy, made another announcement before returning to address him saying “DS, I have been in this House long enough to know that this is the first time in the history of this House that a Deputy Speaker will openly oppose what the Speaker says.”

Turning to the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business, Gbajabiamila said: “make the order paper light for tomorrow. This House will adjourn at 2.00pm” while members present at plenary screamed Carried 

Recall that Wase, and other members of the G7 aspiring to be Speaker have been simmering with resentment over the decision of Gbajabiamila to endorse APC’s preferred candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.

Wase had penultimate week led the G-7 aggrieved aspirants to the APC national secretariat where he openly accused Speaker Gbajabiamila of being behind the choice of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and undermining other aspirants. 

He told the national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and his leadership that he had told Gbajabiamila that he misled the president-elect on the choice of the Speaker and that Tinubu was not behind the choice of Abass.

Wase also accused the party leadership of betraying other contestants, having initially asked them to slow down their campaigns and give room for consultations.