Aggrieved aspirants for the Speakership position in the 10th National Assembly, popularly known as G7, have reportedly condemned a meeting between Muktar Aliyu Betara and President-elect Bola Tinubu, in France.
OsunDaily News gathered that Betara’s visit and meeting with Tinubu have caused a major split among the aggrieved aspirant ahead of the inauguration of the 10th House of Representatives.
Speaking with the Nation on Monday, top sources said other aggrieved aspirants who were caught unawares by Betara’s visit to Tinubu in France felt bad that they were being left out of the scheme.
One of the sources said some of the aspirants alleged that Betara was given undue attention over them following his meeting with the President-elect.
The G7 aspirants for the Speakership include Idris Wase, Muktar Betara, Adamu Yusuf Gagdi, Aminu Sani Jaji, Sada Soli, and Miriam Onouha.
A top source said: “All is not well in the G7 or now G6 camp since Betara visited the President-elect in France. Other aspirants felt they might lose out in the power game if APC and the President-elect succeed in ensuring the election of Abbas as the 10th Speaker.”
Another source said: “Some of them alleged that Betara was given undue attention over and above them. The rest of them were asking: Why only Betara?
“For example, like the Deputy Speaker, Wase, he thinks that his current position should have made him to also go to meet with Tinubu in France. But apparently, Betara was singled out. So, the likes of Wase and Gagdi are not happy about it.
“There is this silent disaffection among all of them. They won’t come out to talk publicly because they have gone far together to tell Nigerians that they’re working for a common goal. But when the chips are down, you guys will see what will happen.
“Some of the aspirants among the G7 are just lurking around and behaving like low-hanging fruits waiting to be harvested by the Tajudeen Abbas group.
“All that some of them want is recognition and a strong deal. They’re waiting for the main group of Abbas to harvest them. If they’re invited by the President-Elect to a meeting today, that’s the end of it. They’ll all fall in line.”
Betara Vows To Challenge Abbas
However, one of the sources said Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima have persuaded Betara to step down for Tajudeen Abbas, who has been endorsed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the next Speaker.
The source stated that Betara has, however, vowed to take the risk to slug it out with Abbas on June 13, and he is said to be banking on the votes of the incoming members-elect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties.
According to the source, the speakership aspirant has vowed to “take the risk to slug it out with Abbas” on June 13 when the House will be inaugurated.
He said: “Betara has not accepted the olive branch from the President-elect and the Vice President-elect. His claim was that he was persuaded to step down for the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, by Tinubu in 2019.
“He insisted on contesting even if it means he will lose. His confidence is buoyed by his war chest and the support of the members-elect from the PDP and some opposition parties.
“His permutation is based on the likelihood of the emergence of Sen. Jibril Barau (from Kano in the North-West) as the Deputy President of the Senate. Since the election of the principal officers of the Senate will come first, Betara will capitalise on Barau’s victory to sway the House against Abbas, who is from the North West.
“Betara has said that he sees nothing wrong in the Vice President and the Speaker emerging from the Northeast like the present situation in which Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Gbajabiamila are from the South West”.
