One of the aspirants for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi has opened up about meeting the vice-president-elect, Kashim Shettima and the consensus candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the Speakership seat, Tajudeen Abbas.
OsunDaily News recalls that the vice-president-elect, at a meeting with some of the House of Representatives members-elect for the 10th national assembly last Friday at his residence in Abuja said he was reaching out to aggrieved aspirants to step down for Abbas and his endorsed deputy, Ben Kalu.
At that meeting, Shettima said he was “reaching out” to the contestants in the race to possibly step down for Abbas and Kalu for the positions of speaker and deputy respectively.
However, Gagdi, who is an aspirant for the position of the Speaker has revealed that neither Abbas nor the vice president-elect has reached out to him.
According to him, he doubts if Abbas has his number, not to talk about reaching out to him.
Gagdi made this revelation in Abuja media chat with parliamentary correspondents.
This online news platform gathered from Tribune that Gavdi submitted that “I don’t think Tajudeen Abbas even has my number. I don’t think so. I don’t think he wants to get it. If he says he is reaching out to us, tell him I said he is not reaching out to us. And I’m not using this to plead that he should reach out to me.
“For the VP, yes. He is my father! I think I reached out to him. Before he made this comment, there was an appointment that I was going to meet with him and he didn’t tell me to step down.
“I met him as a political leader of the North to equally tell him my intention to contest for Speaker because hitherto to this moment I’ve not officially declared that to him and I told him and he prayed and wished me well.
“So, if there’s any engagement regarding who becomes Speaker, whether reaching out to us support Tajudeen Abbas, I’ve not discussed that with the VP yet.”
The lawmaker while still lamenting about how unjust the APC zoning arrangement is noted that, “I won’t respect party supremacy when it is against injustice. Why am I elected to the National Assembly? I am elected to represent Nigerians and to ensure justice. Then the party that I seek election under its platform will be aiding and abetting injustice and you expect me to respect that supremacy?
“I have analysed these things to you that even the deaf and dumb agree that there is injustice and then you are talking about party supremacy. What are they talking about? Have you heard anybody from the North Central zone talking about party supremacy?
“Let them say it and see whether they would not sacrifice their political future in the North Central zone. North Central Governors and elected officials met and what was their resolution?
“Even our Governors are saying, yes they are loyal to the party but yet justice has not been done to us. I am a loyal party man, perhaps those people saying that have not done what I have done for APC to win.”
