Wase Boycotts Leadership Meetings, Plenary Processions
The race for the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, has taken a different turn as the relationship between outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, deteriorates by the day, forcing Wase to boycott leadership meetings and plenary.
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.
THISDAY gathered that the Deputy Speaker has stopped attending the pre-plenary leadership meetings since he officially declared his intention to contest for the position last week.
Also, Wase was said to no longer join the speaker in the procession to the plenary, which is the standard practice. But since last week, Wase has stopped accompanying the speaker into the chambers. Rather, he comes alone and takes his seat on the floor.
A reliable source who pleaded anonymity said, “I want to confirm to you that the deputy speaker has taken the fight for speakership to another level. I can’t imagine how angry he is. I hope you media are taking note that since last week after his (Wase’s) declaration, we are told he has stopped attending pre-plenary meetings with the speaker and body of principal officers.
“You will notice that even today (Tuesday) if you were here (chambers), he wasn’t on the speaker’s procession to the plenary. Or did you see him when the speaker was coming in? No! But I say this is puerile, because the speaker has the right to support whoever he wants to succeed him. So, how can the deputy speaker be taking this to be a personal fight between him and Speaker Gbajabiamila.”
The source also alleged that Wase and his group had last week made an attempt to amend the House Rules in order to return the voting pattern to secret balloting but they foiled the plan.
“He is just looking for ways to express his anger and spite the speaker. Even last week, he and his group made an attempt to re-amend the House Rules so that voting on that day will be by secret balloting. But it failed because we got wind of the plan and frustrated them. How can a man, who is so desperate be able to handle the House as a speaker?”