Tension brews as Wase confronts Gbajabiamila during plenary

It seems the once cordial relationship between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, and his Deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, has completely broken down, at least judging by the recent bust-up between the duo.

Wase has been a loyal Deputy to the Speaker since 2019, but a divide has emerged between them over the latter's refusal to back the former for the 10th House Assembly speakership position.

Trouble started after Gbajabiamila reportedly recommended Kaduna State lawmaker, Hon Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu from Abia State for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the coming 10th House, and convinced the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to endorse the duo.

Wase, who claimed to have stepped down for the emergence of Gbajabiamila in 2019, deemed the Speaker's move as a betrayal and has since teamed up with six other aspirants who have vowed to torpedo the party's endorsements.

However, things came to a boil during the plenary session on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, as the Deputy Speaker confronted Gbajabiamila in the chamber.

As the session was rounding off, the Speaker instructed the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, to prepare a light order paper for Thursday as the sitting should close by 2 pm to allow members to attend an event billed for the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

Ruffled by the announcement, Wase said, “Mr Speaker, I’m getting to see this getting so funny and we have lost quite a number of periods of time. For the commissioning of projects for God’s sake! Why do we have to shelve a lot of activities that we have just to go and witness the commissioning of a project of NILDS?

“I want to beg, sir, that we should do our functions. Those who have the interest to go, they have the right to. But our main primary function in this parliament is to make law and our citizens should be our priority.”

Gbajabiamila had barely completed his comment that “Perhaps, DS, you don’t appreciate the importance of NILDS like some of us do. I think NILDS is very important,” when the Deputy Speaker interjected, saying “I have every information and idea of what NILDS is!”

The Speaker then replied, “It was set up by this same institution by statute. We are not adjourning the House to go to NILDS; what I said was, ‘Let’s try and make it light and leave here by two.’ If you want, we can resume by 10(am). We will do our work but we will adjourn this House at 2 pm. I will witness the NILDS (event) because it is important to me.”

While Wase responded, “The parliament is about us, not about ‘I.’”

Shocked by the unusual outburst of his Deputy, Gbajabiamila said, “Mr Deputy Speaker, this is the first time in history…I have been in this House for many years, perhaps even longer than anybody here…this is the first time in history that a Deputy Speaker will be challenging what the Speaker is saying.”

But, Wase retorted by saying, “I don’t understand what you mean by challenging, sir. That I should not make my contribution?”

Ignoring the Deputy Speaker’s last comment, Gbajabiamila said, “Let me repeat please: Chairman Business and Rules, please make the order paper very light. We are adjourning this House by 2 pm tomorrow.”

There are speculations that the aggrieved APC aspirants, otherwise known as the G7, are hatching up a plan to impeach Gbajabiamila over his involvement in the endorsement saga.

The group, consisting of Wase, Yusuf Gadgi, Sada Soliu, Aliyu Betara, Miriam Onuoha, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, and Sani Jaji, are not backing down on their threat to produce a Speaker by working with opposition parties.