Barely 24 hours after he emerged, a group, the National Coalition for Credible Leadership (NCCL), has called for the withdrawal of Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC), House of Representatives’ Speaker-designate, to withdraw from the race for alleged criminal records standing against him.
The group, while reacting to publications in some national dailies about the person of Gbajabiamila, said his sojourn in the United States of America, calls for questioning of his years in America.
According to a statement by its national coordinator, Mr. Chudi G. Okafor and secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo, the group claimed that with the criminal case standing against the lawmaker, it was expedient for him to withdraw honourably from the race.
“The stories published by newspapers, hardcore and online, contained serious allegations about the past conduct of Hon. Gbajabiamila who practised law in America with bar number 288330 to the effect that he was convicted of defrauding his client when he practised law in the US State of Georgia.
“It is worth mentioning here that the punishment for Femi Gbaja`s offence would have been outright debarment, however, he pleaded guilty before a full panel of the Supreme Court of Goergia led by Justice Leah Ward Sears before the court ruled on the petition from his client, he filed a petition for voluntary discipline, filed under bar rule 4-227(b) in which he fully admitted allegation from his client, while Goergia`s Supreme Court suspended him from practice of law for 36 months.
“We are also aware that section 66 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that: “No person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives if he was convicted of criminal offence within a period of less than 10 years before the date of an election to a Legislative House.
“This singular act of Femi Gbajabiamila contravenes the provision of the 1999 Constitution which states that “No person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives if he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty or he has been found guilty of a contravention of the Code of Conduct.
“As an American, he swore his allegiance to the United States of America. Not only that, as a requirement he must renounce his allegiance to his country of birth before he can be given American citizenship. This supposes that he has pledged his allegiance to the USA which contravenes the provisions of section 66(1a) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that: “No person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives if… “Considering the provisions of section 28 of the Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than of Nigeria or except, in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, has made declaration of allegiance to such a country.
“Needless to say that before you can become an American citizen you must swear your allegiance to the United States; more so, that Hon. Gbajabiamila is an American citizen and holds the American passport with the surname Gbaja. How can one person bear two different surnames?”
“In light of the foregoing, we therefore call on Hon. Gbajabiamila to honourably withdraw from the Speakership race and go and clear himself in the courts. Gbajabiamila has a lot of moral and legal questions hanging on his neck, which can bring the exalted seat of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to disrepute,” the group stated. (gongnews.net)