Lagos- A Lagos lawmaker, Mr Segun Olulade, has described the choice of Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, as Majority Leader of the House of Representatives as “a good omen for a vibrant House.’’
Olulade said this on Thursday in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The lawmaker also commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the House for respecting the position of the ruling party by accepting Gbajabiamila.
He said it was a good sign of respect for party supremacy.
“The Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has demonstrated respect for Mr President’s intervention.
“Such honour for the President and the party will go a long way in strengthening unity within the party.
“The nation is thirsty of development and we cannot afford to disappoint Nigerians who are already waiting anxiously for the fruit of CHANGE.
“As a lawmaker, I was worried about the crisis that rocked the National Assembly.
“But I am happy that we have a resolution to shut down opposition critics who wished APC bad in the outcome of the leadership tussles,’’ he said.
Olulade called on APC members in the Senate to borrow a leaf from the win-win approach deployed by the Dogara-led lower chamber.
“Nigeria’s democracy is growing fast with the best practice of crisis management embedded in the philosophy of the progressives, right from merger time, towards the party primaries, and now leadership issues.
“All these are bound to happen as the nation grows by it; the most important thing is the ability to resolve differences, which is the fundamental principle of growth and development,’’ he said.
Olulade commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the party leadership and all stakeholders at various levels for their roles in resolving the crisis.
He expressed hope that the nation would begin to enjoy dividends of democracy which the ruling party is capable of giving.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lingering crisis in the lower chamber was resolved when Gbajabiamila emerged the Majority Leader on Tuesday after initial opposition by a group of APC lawmakers.
Gbajabiamila, though the party’s choice, had lost the bid to become Speaker of the House to Dogara on June 9 in an election on the floor of the Assembly.
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The party, after the loss, nominated him as Majority Leader, but a group of lawmakers had kicked against it, saying the South-West zone had already produced the Deputy Speaker.
Ahead of the resumption of the House after a break on Tuesday, President Buhari met with the lawmakers and urged for quick resolution of the dispute.
Dogara, at the sitting on Tuesday, finally named the principal officers of the party in the House, announcing Gbajabiamila as Majority Leader. (NAN)