9th Assembly: Leadership we can trust
We the members of the 9th House of Representatives sure have a date with history on Tuesday June 11, 2019 by ensuring that national interest is placed far ahead of all other person interests. We must patriotically endeavour to elect for the House principal officers that have the capacity to deliver good governance, harmonious working […]
We the members of the 9th House of Representatives sure have a date with history on Tuesday June 11, 2019 by ensuring that national interest is placed far ahead of all other person interests. We must patriotically endeavour to elect for the House principal officers that have the capacity to deliver good governance, harmonious working relationship with the executive and sustainable development in the country.
We the members of the 9th House are lucky so to say due to the fact that a viable and competent leadership choice has already been cut out for us and same choice has been endorsed by the majority members of the House. The manifestly and undeniably competent leadership option before us is Gbajabiamila- Wase. This is a leadership option we can trust to run an all-inclusive House that will deliver on impactful legislation and accommodate the interests of all members of the lower legislative chamber across party lines.
For the aspiration of Gbajabiamila-Wase, it has been a torrent of endorsements across party lines. This ticket has since been openly endorsed by serving and immediate past governors of both the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the leading opposition parties in the country. However, it is particularly instructive that the flood gate of endorsements for Gbajabiamila was opened by President Muhammadu Buhari. The president had made it known at several fora that he could only work comfortably with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
As the Chairman of the First Timers Forum in the 9th House, I am in the best position to posit that the choice of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was not imposed on any one of us. Speakership aspiration of Gbaja had been willingly and gleefully embraced by majority members of the House across party lines, even before the light of widespread endorsements was ignited by President Buhari. As an active player in the Gbajabiamila – Wase project, I make bold to declare that this aspiration has so far secured endorsements of a part of the PDP caucus and other parties. Without being immodest, I can humbly state that this aspiration is victory bound.
The ongoing campaign of calumny on the person of Hon. Gbajabiamila, albeit ineffective one is not totally unexpected. It is however regrettable that wicked and fabricated lies are repeatedly being churned out by a few tantrum throwers to create an illusion of the truth. Meanwhile, the sad news for these mindless elements is that we the concerned actors in the House of Representatives have since made up our minds to swim and stick with Gbajabiamila-Wase leadership.
It is noteworthy that the torrent of endorsements for Femi Gbajabiamila in particular could not have been witnessed if not for the fact of his being a very competent and dutiful lawmaker as seen in the last 16 years. He is a 5th term member of the House who had served as the Minority Leader as well as the Majority Leader of the House. He is a highly patriotic Nigeria and a loyal party man. Gbajabiamila is a manifestly upright, enviably honest and infectiously competent politician. He has over the years demonstrated his abilities of competency, independent mindedness and the spirit of a team player.
My admonition as a patriotic Nigerian to all my colleagues in the 9th House is to please give the needed cooperation to President Buhari for him to achieve the Next Level Agenda by voting overwhelmingly for Gbajabiamila-Wase as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House on Tuesday June 11. As things stand today, there seems to be no better alternative to Gbajabiamila- Wase if we patriotically hope to rebuilding the economy and deliver economic prosperity to our fellow country men and women.
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is member-elect for Akoko North East/Akoko North West of Ondo State.