The leadership crisis in the House of Representatives finally came to an end Tuesday with the appointment of Femi Gbajabiamila as majority leader. However, the Reps leadership was constituted without any representation from the South East zone. EZUGWU OBINNA reports

Some political leaders in the South East geopolitical zone have expressed discontent with the inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled House of Representatives to cede any of its principal offices to the zone despite the fact that it produced two members of the House under the party’s platform.

The resolution of the hitherto lingering crisis between the factions of the Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Femi Gbajabiamila that eventually saw to the emergence of the latter as the House Majority Leader on Tuesday came at the expense of the South East which could have got the deputy leader if the permutations of the Dogara camp had been implemented.

According to the earlier projections of the Dogara group, Hon. Ado Doguwa from Kano (North West) would emerge as House Leader,  Hon. Bala Jibrin from Kogi (North Central) as Deputy Leader, Pally Iriase from Edo (South-South) as Chief Whip and Chike Okafor  Imo (South East) as Deputy Leader such that every geopolitical zone would be represented in the House leadership. The North East and South West have earlier produced speaker and deputy speaker in the persons of Dogara and Yusuf Lasun from Osun State respectively.

The group had argued that Hon. Okafor despite being a first timer in the House was eligible to hold the office of deputy leader since the law stipulates that any member that had been sworn in is regarded as having acquired the cognate experience needed to occupy a leadership position in the House, citing the example of Hon. Ayoola Hosea Agboola who was elected under similar circumstances in the 7th assembly.

“In the first place, any person acquainted with the rules and practice of the House knows that a new member is regarded as having cognate legislative experience immediately he is sworn in as a member as it is only new members-elect that are affected by the rule.

“It is as a result of this that the 7th senate elected Ayoola Hosea Agboola as deputy whip even though he was the only member of the party from the South West,” the group said.

However, the position of the party on the sharing formula which was to the effect that Hon. Gbajabiamila who lost out to Dogara in the race for speakership be given the post of majority leader as compensation prevailed due to the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari. On Tuesday, the House finally named Gbajabiamila as House Leader, Doguwa as Chief Whip, Jibrin as Deputy Leader and Iriase as Deputy Whip. The implication of which is that Hon. Okafor and by extension the South East zone lost out in the sharing of the offices.

This situation has prompted negative reactions from a number of political figures in the zone. The leader of South East APC in Lagos, Chief Anselm Njoku who bared his mind on the development described it as unfortunate. He noted that it had actually been on the plan of the party to ensure every zone is represented and wondered why the South East was eventually left out.

“It is very unfortunate because it was earlier on their plan to make sure that every geopolitical zone is represented in the leadership of the House. What they have done now cannot be encouraged and we condemn it. This is unfair to the South East,” Njoku said.

In a similar reaction, a chieftain of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Barrister Robert Okechukwu Okoroji explained that the development was not good for the country’s democracy, stating that it was a pointer to the fact that the APC does not yet understand the tenets of democracy.

“It goes to show that the APC led government in the country does not understand democracy. Their method is the winner takes it all, they forget the national assembly is no longer an assembly for the APC but national assembly of the federal republic of Nigeria and all sections of the country must be adequately accommodated.

“Obviously they are not taking their victory with a spirit of sportsmanship. The spirit of sportsmanship would entail that they should accommodate the opposition,” he said.

Okoroji who was a one-time governorship aspirant in Lagos however, insisted that it was nothing for the South East to cry over. He advised that both the South East and South-South zones should now consolidate on the unity they have now in order to empower themselves.

“It shouldn’t be, whatever cannot be cured must be endured. It is a consequence of the voting pattern in the last election. It is nothing to cry over. All that the old Eastern Region has to do now is to consolidate their gains; the gains of unity that resulted from the last election.

“That bonding that had been scarce in the last 45 years which the last election helped to cement should be consolidated on, there is nothing to regret. They need to strategize on how to empower themselves in the scheme of things. They don’t have to go and beg Buhari or begin to complain,” he concluded.

Also speaking on the development a PDP stalwart in Ebonyi State, Mr. Abia Onyike said that it was not so serious a matter for the South East to worry about. He explained that on the part of the PDP, the calculation was for Hon. Leo Ogor who even though is from the South-South but is an Igbo man to emerge minority leader.

“That is not a very serious matter. You know after what happened in the senate, the APC became jittery. So they now have enough time to regroup in the House of Reps. It was the backlash that gave rise to that insensitivity. So let’s watch and see.  It is something that can be managed since our people did not vote for the APC.

“The calculation is that Leo Ogor who is now minority leader is an Igbo man even though he comes from Delta State. You know the South East has only two members of the APC in the House of Reps,” Onyike said.