The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the sharing of principal officers position meant for the party in the House of Representatives may consume the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Lasun Yussuf.
There was serious pressure on the Deputy Speaker to resign from office in other to pave way for former Minority Leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, who had earlier lost the bid to become the 8th Assembly Speaker to occupy the number six position.
As part of ways of resolving the crisis, the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun called the Speaker, his deputy and South West governors to a meeting, on Friday, but Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola was the only governor from the South West who attended the “peace meeting”.
Both the Speaker and his deputy came together for the meeting, but immediately the Osun State governor arrived for the meeting, the Speaker was seen rushing out of the APC national chairman’s office, venue of the meeting.
The meeting, which started around 12 noon, lasted for more than three hours.
Attempts by reporters to interview the Speaker on why he was at the APC national secretariat were rebuffed by the speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Mr Turaki Hassan, who shielded his principal, saying “Mr Speaker cannot grant any interview now. He is going for an official assignment,” before Honourable Dogara’s convoy zoomed off.
The meeting between the national chairman of the party with both Honourable Yusuf who is from Osun State and his home state governor centred on the peace move to resolve the crisis in the party over the sharing of positions meant for APC members in the House of Representatives.
However, immediately after the meeting, both the Deputy Speaker and Governor Aregbesola walked out together from the APC national chairman’s office without a word for the journalists who had waited patiently to interview them on the outcome of the meeting.
It was learnt that the parties also discussed how to clear all legal hurdles by getting the Honourable Gbajabiamila faction in the House to withdraw its court case against the announcement of the House’s principal officers.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun, who later spoke to newsmen in his office, said that the party did not direct Honourable Yusuf to resign, saying, “No, the party has not said such thing, we only called a meeting with the Speaker, his deputy and the South West governors, so as to try and sort out the outstanding issues in the House of Representatives. We are still holding consultations and hopefully there will be a breakthrough soon.”
Before now, the former Minority Leader was said to have been offered the chairmanship of House Special Committee on Constitution Review which is statutorily for the Deputy Speaker but the position was reportedly turned down by Honourable Gbajabiamila.
Meanwhile, Chief Odigie-Oyegun has said the crisis plaguing the party is being resolved.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun stated this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to him, the issues are being resolved and things would work out soon for the party in particular and for the nation in general.
He further assured the nation that, given time, the party will deliver on all of its campaign promises.
“The issues are being looked into and are being resolved. Things will work out and the party will ensure that it delivers on the campaign promises it made to the people; that, we are sure of,” he said.
On the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party that the APC was stalling governance in the National Assembly for its selfish purposes, Odigie-Oyegun said “it is untrue.”
