A member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, has said the alliance of Speakership Aspirants otherwise known as G7 was not formed to work against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
The APC had settled for Tajudeen Abbas, a lawmaker from Kaduna State for the position of Speaker and Benjamin Kalu, a member from Abia State, as Deputy for the 10th House of Representatives.
But other interested aspirants as well as stakeholders in the party protested the decision.
Gagdi, while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja said the alliance was against the party’s decision which was taken without due consultation and perhaps without Tinubu’s input.
He said, “In the first instance, there was no consultation. It was highly disrespectful. We campaigned for the party, we are stakeholders in the party. We were elected under the leadership of the party. But there was no courtesy of even calling us to inform us about what the party is arranging,” he said.
“I know the principles of our President-elect whom I so much respect. Up till today, I don’t believe that what is happening the President-elect is aware of it or it is his idea. That is why we keep challenging the party that issued the thing.”
“We are not against anybody and we are not even against the President-elect. As far as we are concerned, we have not heard anything from him (Tinubu). We have not heard anything regarding whether he has zoned or endorsed a particular candidate.
“Except that the candidates that are being paraded, particularly the ones from the House of Representatives and his co-travellers, are the ones saying that that he has been endorsed by Tinubu. We have not heard that from (Tinubu) as far as the G7 is concerned.”
The lawmaker said the party got more votes in the north-central than the north-west and deserved to be rewarded.
He added that Tinubu had promised to reward loyalty and could not have allowed the speakership position to be zoned Kaduna where he won one Local Government Area during the presidential election.
“Tinubu had promised that he will reward loyalty and commitment. I think it negates even the commitment of the President-elect. What the party did contradict the promise and commitment and the way of politics of Bola Tinubu.
“Zamfara gave the highest votes in the north-west and yet you have not given them a single position — but you are giving to a state (that the APC won) one LGA. Are we rewarding disloyalty? So where is the principle of Bola Tinubu here? The party tore and throw it away.”
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