Speakership Race: Plot to Amend House Rules Thicken
As the jostle for the speakership of the House of Representatives gets hotter, there are plots by a group loyal to one of the contenders for the position to amend the House’ s standing orders on voting procedure.
The group loyal to Femi Gbajabiamila are said to be mobilising members to support a motion that will alter the voting method from secret ballot to open ballot.
Order 2, Rule 4 (f) (ii) of the House Standing Orders 2014, states that: “Voting by secret ballot shall be conducted by the Ckerk-at-Table using the list of the members-elect of the House, who shall each be given a ballot paper to cast his vote, with the proposer and seconder as tellers.”
The motion was initially planned to be tabled on Wednesday but the plot was aborted at the 11th minute after the promoters realised that they didn’t have enough support to push it through.
“They have planned to propose the amendment under matters of urgent public importance on Wednesday but changed their mind after realising that it will be defeated,” a ranking member who does not want to be named said.
The lawmaker said the group is planning to “come under a substantive motion next Tuesday to propose an amendment to the voting pattern from secret to open ballot.”
The aim of the amendment according to the source is to achieve two things:
To ensure that members are intimidated into voting for Gbajabiamila as the whole world will know who each member voted for.
“We are aware that the amendment is being proposed so that their godfathers will see them voting for their annointed candidates but under the secret ballot nobody will know who each member voted for
“Secondly, we are also aware that they want to induce members with money to vote for their candidate but they want to make sure that those who collects their money vote for their candidate.
“It is hypocritical for the same people who pushed for the adoption of the secret ballot four years ago are now be working against it for selfish reasons,” the source said.