Gbajabiamila not against Southern Governors’ calls for restructuring – Reps

The House of Representatives has said that Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila is not opposed to the call by Southern Governors for the restructuring of the country.

Seventeen southern governors had convened on Tuesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital and had demanded for the nation’s restructuring, asking President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation and to also convene a national dialogue.

But the House via a statement issued on Friday by its spokesman, Benjamin Kalu, said the Speaker and indeed the current leadership of the House has shown commitment to total review of the 1999 constitution to meet the yearning and aspiration of the Nigerian people.

“The attention of the House has been drawn to several publications on online and traditional media claiming that the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, is opposed to the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring,” the statement partly read.

“The House gathers that this allegation was attributed to statements made by the Speaker at a recent interview seeking his opinion on the issue. The House states clearly and unequivocally that the publications are false and misleading.”

SEE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:

The Speaker did not say He is opposed to the Southern Governors’ calls for restructuring

The attention of the House has been drawn to several publications on online and traditional media claiming that the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, is opposed to the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring. The House gathers that this allegation was attributed to statements made by the Speaker at a recent interview seeking his opinion on the issue. The House states clearly and unequivocally that the publications are false and misleading.

For the avoidance of doubt, below is an accurate reproduction of the statements made by the Speaker at that interview;

“This is not a time for name-calling or blaming one person or the other. If truth be told, we all have equal shares in the blame and whatever challenges we have, we all must come together. In the same way we all have equal shares, we must all come together to make sure that we resolve whatever issues there are. Like I said earlier, the greatest nations have gone through challenges worse than this and I believe that it is that spirit of oneness and that spirit of togetherness and unity and love that will take us through this. You know sometimes there are many things that people have said here and there and you never know where these things are coming from. Sometimes God even puts you through challenges so that you can come out of it stronger, bigger, better, bolder. That’s what I believe is gonna happen to Nigeria. We’re all put together in this one geographical space for a reason. It wasn’t by happenstance or coincidence or by chance. It was ordained by Almighty God and He doesn’t make mistakes, He doesn’t go wrong. What He decrees is what will be and I believe He put us all together. No matter your religion, no matter your ethnicity, talking about over 250 ethnic groups in one country, it is that diversity that God had foreseen that I believe we should tap into as Nigerians. I have belief in the Nigerian resilience and in the Nigerian spirit; and in the spirit of Ramadan, we must continue to pray.”

It is clear to objective reason that nothing in the above statement opposes the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring. Indeed, from the beginning of the 9th Assembly, the House under the leadership of Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has reiterated its commitment to a thorough review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as can be seen by the composition and activities of the Constitutional Review Committee of the House.

The media is hereby cautioned to be mindful of peddling false news in the bid to misinform the general public. This is misleading and detrimental to our democracy as a nation. Like the Speaker rightly said, this is not a time to apportion blames rather this is a time for us to come together and deliberate on issues that have birthed the problem we are facing as a nation and to find a suitable solution to it.

The House urges Nigerians to disregard this news and continue to pray for a peaceful Nigeria.

Signed,

Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu

Spokesperson

House of Representatives