House of Representatives member Khadijah Bukar Abba yesterday said that Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila did not induce his colleagues financially to vote for him.
Abba, the acting spokesman of the House spoke shortly after the inauguration of four adhoc committees by the Speaker.
According to Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who stood in for the ad Committee Chairman, Gbajabiamila had no reason to induce any lawmaker as he worked hard enough to deserve the seat.
A House of Representatives group, G7, said it would seek legal redress to ensure that the result of the election is upturned because members were financially induced.
Ihonvbere said: “For us, we have conducted a democratic elections was held and aired live. At the end, winners emerged and we all witnessed the losers congratulating the winner on the floor. And he has taken
“To us as a House, everything is now in the past and we are focused on the serious legislative business e are are here to carry out, to make the House and the country better.
“As far as we are concerned nobody received money, nobidy was enticed to vote. As a matter of fact, no one campaigned intensely robust more than Gbajabiamila, and it went beyond the call of duty to explain what he has to offer.
“At times he went to parts of the country with over 120 lawmakers, with that kind of work, he needed to buy no vote”.
While inaugurating the Committees on Selection, Media, Welfare and Ethic and Privileges, Gbajabiamila reiterated the determination of the House to reform itself.
The Legislative Agenda of the 9th House is due to be released to the public in about two weeks, the ad committee said.
The Speaker said that the Lower Chamber is working with the executive arm of government to tackle the challenges facing the country.
He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “It’s official and any meeting with the Vice President is relevant. It is about the economy and how to move the country forward, charting a road map about how to confront the problems facing Nigeria today.
“So, these were the issues we discussed. It wasn’t a personal meeting but you can call it a hybrid – between the personal and official but mostly it’s official.
“How the executive and the legislature can collaborate to make life better for Nigeria and Nigerians.”
Asked what Nigerians are going to see differently from his leadership in the ninth Assembly, the Speaker said, “Stay tune, you’ve heard my inaugural speech, we are going to do things differently, we are going to build on whatever the achievements are of the eight assembly, and it’s going to be a reformed house.
“Like I have said, the reform will be fished out in piece meal so as not to shock the system. But they will be reforms that will be for the benefit of the country.
“We expect the cooperation of all facets of government, including the executive and you – the journalists and including our constituents.”
On whether he will carry the opposition members along in terms of committee chairing, he said the committees would be unfolded in the next few weeks.
Gbajabiamila added: “And you will see how we intend to carry them along . I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag but you can be assured they would be carried along.”
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