Saraki’s travails not masterminded by APC – Gbajabiamila

ABUJA – Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday said that absolute peace and tranquility has returned to the National Assembly especially the House of Representatives.

He stated that members were now on the same page and were determined to enact people-orientated legislations for the country.

It will be recalled that the House was engulfed by leadership crisis arising from the selection of the presiding and principal officers after its inauguration in June.

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila

Gbajabiamila who spoke to State House Correspondents after a private meeting with president Mohammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja however noted that current travails of the senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, saying the woes do not have anything to do with All Progressives Congress, APC as a political party.

He dismissed the application of political solution to the matter, believing that the law would run its full cause.

He said: “This is just a routine visit to Mr. president; one arm of government visiting another arm. You know the important role of the House, I being in charge of government business in the House, we discussed the issue of budget and a few other House keeping matters to further cement the relationship between the House and the President.

“Everything that has a beginning has an end. I don’t think and I don’t know if there is any leadership crisis in the National Assembly. I’m not sure at what you’re alluding to; I’m not in the Senate. But the little I understand is that there is an issue involved with the Senate President. That has nothing to do with the APC.

“That has to do with the issue of law and I’m sure the Senate President is being surely represented and he will have his day in court. If the matter comes up, I don’t think it’s an APC issue; it’s not an APC issue at all. There is no crisis, not in the House.

“I can’t comment and promote things that are unsubstantiated. You know the problem is a constitutional legal problem and I don’t know how you can treat constitutional legal problem politically. If that be the case, perhaps I may not know.”

Gbajabiamila also submitted that the allocation of committees would not stir up controversy in the House.

“It would be handled by members of the House. The correct thing is that Justice is done, equity is done and once that is done, then there not going to be a problem.

“There’re are a 180 or 190 committee slots on the issues of the committees while their issue of deputies and chairmen while there 360 members. So, whichever way it falls out, the important thing is the fallout that is not based on equity, then there may be a problem”, he said.

The Majority also mulled support for the zero budgeting system of the federal government, stressing that there has to be justification for monies expended.

“Absolutely, we understand the logic. Unlike the envelop budget system, which had issues under the best circumstances. Zero budget where everything starts from scratch, they have to justify every penny. It’s part of the government efforts to block leakages and the House is in firm support.”

On the position of the House on President Buhari’s anti- corruption war, Gbajabiamila stated that every member of the National Assembly supports the fight against graft.

“God help any member of the NASS that is not disposed to it. This is the most critical cankerworm that is destroying the fabric of the society. Any member of the Senate or the House that is against that fight… So, in answer to your question, any member of the House that is disposed to that fight, and I believe all members are”, he said.