Speakership: Court issues criminal summons on Gbajabiamila

The Coalition of United Political Parties and the Action Peoples Party are leaving no stone unturned in foiling Majority Leader’s Femi Gbajabiamila attempt to lead the House of Reps in the ninth assembly.

The ruling All Progressives Congress had named Gbajabiamila its preferred candidate for the position, and the chances are stacking up in his favour.

But the spokesman for CUPP, Imo Ugochinyere, told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that Gbajabiamila’s choice was contrary to the present administration’s acclaimed anti-corruption war.

The coalition spokesman said the federal lawmaker was not competent to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives because he had earlier been convicted of  “wilful dishonesty” by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia in the United States.

So Gbajabiamila’s choice, the group insisted, was “morally, politically and constitutionally wrong.”

He said the group had commenced criminal proceedings against the lawmaker before Grade 1 Area Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Karshi.

According to him, Gbajabiamila had at different times given false information on oath to the Independent National Electoral Commission when he claimed in the commission’s Form CF001 that he had never been indicted by a tribunal, court or administrative panel of fraud or dishonesty.

“A court in the FCT has issued criminal summons on Femi Gbajabiamila to appear in person on June 10 and the court also granted an exparte application to serve him by substituted means through the clerk of the National Assembly,”he said.