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Who wields the gavel in Lagos Assembly?

By Wole Oyebade
30 April 2015   |   4:20 am
THE 7th session of the Lagos State House of Assembly is winding down with some form of lull in the Chamber. But in the inner recesses of the Assembly Complex, there is intense lobbying for the successor of the current Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji. The lobbying is even more intense with some external forces already pulling the strings.
Ikuforiji- Photo; icampusng

Ikuforiji- Photo; icampusng

THE 7th session of the Lagos State House of Assembly is winding down with some form of lull in the Chamber. But in the inner recesses of the Assembly Complex, there is intense lobbying for the successor of the current Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji. The lobbying is even more intense with some external forces already pulling the strings.

A preview by sources within the House tells of a complicated contest already ongoing to make the election of who becomes the Speaker early June a mere formality. Factors currently in debate include the zoning system, experience/antecedent of the candidates and the over-riding influence of the godfathers.

The Speaker’s seat
In the legislature the Speaker presides over the Chamber and weighs enormous influence in the affairs of the state. Though the Speaker is only next to the governor and the deputy in hierarchy, the executive arm of government needs the speaker’s blessings to perform sensitive functions. He decides the conduct of the House, bills to be debated as well as heads of various House Committees, overseas trips for members and even who has the floor during debates. The yearly budget of the House (N9 billion for Year 2015) is largely at the disposal of the Speaker.

Ikuforiji’s decision to quit the House after 10 years as Speaker was the beginning of the current contest for his successor. The shocking loss by his Deputy, Taiwo Kolawole, to a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate at the polls, rubbished earlier calculations that had swung the seat in Kolawole’s favour.
The candidates: Abiru

Of all the six principal officers in the current Assembly, only Rotimi Abiru representing Somolu II Constituency will be returning, and perhaps, makes him the front-runner in the race. Abiru, the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, is counting on experience to throw him up as the Speaker. Popularly called the Barometer of the House, Abiru has a reputation of deciding the course of sensitive debates and “this is the reason we are throwing our weight behind him,” a lawmaker told The Guardian.

According to the source, who would not want to be mentioned, the main caucus of the current Assembly is rooting for “our own”.

“It is just natural; he is the last man standing and he is capable. After two terms, he knows the State inside out to promote the existing working relationship between the in-coming executive and the legislature,” he said.

Abiru would also be counting on his extra-political affiliations as the scion of the legal luminary, late Hon. Justice Mubashiru Akanbi Olatunji Abiru.

However, the odd against him is the zoning issue as he comes from the same zone (Lagos East) that has produced the governor-elect, Akinwunmi Ambode. But his camp is
hoping that zoning will not apply since it was inconsequential in deciding the current head of the Assembly, where both Ikuforiji (Ikeja I) and his deputy, Kolawole (Ajeromi-Ifelodun I) have emerged from Lagos West. Current Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire also represents Lagos West.

Tejuoso
Also in the reckoning is former Deputy Speaker, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso, representing Mushin I Constituency. Coming to the House for the fourth term, Tejuoso would be the only female in the contest. The brilliant and articulate lawyer indeed has the needed legislative experience, having once led as Deputy Speaker, before her impeachment during the sixth Assembly. She has been a force in the Seventh Assembly and was always having a viewpoint in every debate as a leading female voice in the House. Tejuoso would be counting on an APC stalwart in Mushin to lead her course at the party level.

Obasa
Mudashiru Obasa’s election campaign team in Agege touted him as the next Speaker should he win at the polls. Obasa, though had tried to dissociate self from the insinuation, he is said to be among the lawmakers secretly nursing the ambition.

Obasa, representing Agege I Constituency, is the current Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, a very sensitive and strategic committee. He has the wealth of experience too, coming in as a fourth timer. He had denied involvement in the race, arguing that his party would decide at the right time. It was learnt that he had been encouraged by some leaders in his constituency to join the race.

Sanni-Eshilokun
If the rumour making the rounds is anything to go by, Wasiu Sanni-Eshilokun, Lagos Island I Constituency, may just be the candidate to beat for the coveted seat. Feelers have it that he is the anointed candidate of the National Leader of the party, purportedly thrown into the fray to be the next Speaker.

Sanni-Eshilokun, a staunch loyalist of the “powers that be in the APC”, former chairman of Lagos Island Local Government and former member of the House (1999-2003), “is the party’s joker”, The Guardian gathered. By calculation, Sanni-Eshilokun is favoured, coming from the Lagos Central zone — should zoning really apply.

The candidate’s fate, however, hangs in a balance. Current occupant of Lagos Island I Constituency seat, Hakeem Masha, (who had also contested against Sanni-Eshilokun at the primaries) has filed an appeal to upturn a Federal High Court ruling that gave the APC ticket to Sanni-Eshilokun to contest the Assembly election. The case is due for hearing in a matter of days.

One of the returning APC lawmakers was of the view that Sanni-Eshilokun’s candidacy would be a very tall order because “he cannot be counted as an experienced lawmaker.

“This person (Sanni-Eshilokun) left the House in 2003; that is 12 years ago. Lagos Assembly has transformed massively in the last 10 years under Ikuforiji. Experience gathered 12 years ago is already obsolete, except someone wants us to have ‘a learner’ as the Speaker. But you also know how things can work around here. So, I’m not ruling anything out just yet.”

Yishawu   
Also favoured by the zoning formula is Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa II Constituency, from Lagos Central. He is coming to the House on second-term. Though adjudged as one of the most vocal eggheads of the House, his experience could be called to question vis-à-vis seat of the Speaker.

It remains to be seen where the pendulum will swing come June. What is certain, and as confirmed by sitting lawmakers, is the fundamental role the party will play in deciding who becomes Speaker of the 8th Assembly.

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