Gbaja’s loyalists deny ‘peace deal’ with Dogara

 ‎All Progressives Congress’ (APC) members of the house of representatives in Femi Gbajabiamila’s camp, also known as the APC loyalist group, have denied reports of a peace deal with Yakubu Dogara’s group.

The bone of contention between the two groups is the sharing of principal positions of the house.

While Gbajabiamila’s group is in support of the party’s decision of the zoning the position of house leader‎ to the southwest, Dogara’s group is against that.

Gbajabiamila, APC’s  preferred candidate for speaker and house leader‎, has been locked in a face-off with Dogara over the issue.

The argument of Dogara’s supporters is that the deputy speaker is from the southwest, and as such it will be injustice for the house leader to come from the same zone.

Speaking earlier on Saturday at a press conference in Abuja, Abdulmumin Jibrin, Dogara’s ‘head man’ announced that the crisis in the house was over.

“Permit me to point out, however, that the intense consultations carried out by Speaker Dogara is what eventually led to the birth of the Dogara Formula that saw the emergence of what is now known as the Equity Team,” he had said.

“In line with the Formula, the Equity Team has Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa(APC Kano, North West) as House Leader, Hon Buba Jibrin (APC Kogi, North Central) as Deputy Leader, Hon Pally Iriase (APC Edo, South South) as Chief Whip and Hon. Chika Okafor(APC Imo, South East) as Deputy Chief Whip.

“Interestingly, both the speaker and a great majority of the APC caucus in the house including gladiators in the Gbajabiamila’s group like Hon Mongunu, Hon Doguwa and Hon Pally support and stand by the Equity Team.

“We have  commenced collection of signatures which has reached advanced stage to affirm the Dogara Formula. All other interests, including those excluded from the principal officers specifically Hon Gbajabiamila and Hon Mongunu will be duly accommodated with commensurate responsibility to serve. Since the Speaker has about 200 positions to share out, many members will have the opportunity to serve the country.

“In light of this development, it is heart-warming to announce to you that the disagreement in the house, which many have erroneously labelled as crisis, has finally come to an end‎.”

‎But few hours later, Gbajabiamila’s group denied agreeing to the ‘Dogara Formula’.

‎”The APC loyalists group hereby deny and unequivocally reject any purported endorsement of a so-called formula on the APC leadership in the house of representatives,” Nasiru Zangon-Daura said in terse statement on behalf of the group.

“Any member of our group who claims to be part of this arrangement acts on his own and not on behalf of the group.”