One of the aspirants for the race of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Mohammed Monguno today stepped down for Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila.
With the development, the race for the plum has now been narrowed down to Gbajabiamila who represents Surulere federal constituency of Lagos state and Mr Yakubu Dogara of Bogoro/Dass/ Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi state.
Mungono told dozens of his colleagues who had converged at the Rockview Hotel that he was stepping down for Gbajabiamila who is better positioned to lead the House of Representatives effectively.
According to him: “After broad consultations and thoughtful consideration, I have decided not to run for the office of the Speaker in the 8th Assembly. Instead, I give my full endorsement to my friend and colleague, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who I believe has the requisite qualification to lead the 8th Assembly in the onerous task of addressing the important and pressing needs of the citizens of this nation. I will instead be running for the Deputy Speaker position on a joint ticket with Hon. Gbajabiamila.
“I am withdrawing from the race for two reasons: First, is to ensure party cohesion. As leaders of our great party we can ill-afford to have a divided House if we are to deliver on the much-needed change we promised Nigerians in the course of the campaign, and; second, Femi stands tall amongst our peers in terms of experience and understanding of the contours and nuances of the legislative process. The convention in representative democracies the world over is that having served, as minority leader you ascend to the Speakership position should your party gain the majority. The reason is simple: managing the complexities and subtleties of the legislative process is serious business. It cannot be left in the hands of anyone who desires to learn on the job!
“Over the years, I have come to know Femi as an exceptionally effective legislator. He leads by building consensus, listening to good ideas and putting the nation first. His outright rejection of a national award on grounds of principle, tells you all you need to know about his character. As our chamber’s next Speaker, Femi will re-energize our institution by building the capacity we need to make our role in government more effective and more accountable to the voters.
“Today, our beloved country stands on the cusp of change; we have a unique and golden opportunity to make our legislature more vital and inclusive for all of its members irrespective of party affiliation. Our supporters are ready, willing and jointly committed to working with Hon. Gbaja and I to restore the voters trust in this institution and to ensure that the people’s work is done. We humbly ask our colleagues to support the Gbaja/Mongonu ticket.”
