ABUJA – FROM all indications, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may field a speakership candidate on June 6 when an election would be held to pick a new speaker for the House of Representatives.

Also, yesterday, Minority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, APC, Surulere Federal Constituency, and Abdulmunin Jibrin, APC, Kano formally wrote their colleagues on why they want to run the affairs of the 8th Assembly.

Vanguard findings yesterday revealed that the PDP caucus has been holding meetings at different locations in the Abuja metropolis strategising as to how the party can present a speakership candidate to checkmate APC.

It was reliably gathered that the caucus heavily relying on Section 50(b) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, where it is expressly stated that the lawmakers shall pick their leaders among themselves.

One of the arrowheads in the group told Vanguard under the condition of anonymity that “what section 50 is talking about is about us electing our leaders not a party hand picking any candidate for us”.

“Do not also forget that section 4 of our House rule states that” “a member-elect , addressing the clerk shall propose another member-elect with legislative experience as member of National Assembly to the House to be Speaker and shall move that such member-elect do take the chair as speaker of the House of Representatives”.

“You can clearly see that both the constitution and the House never mentioned that a party or a group of people should pick a speaker rather the members of the Green Chamber on our own should elect our leaders”.

He further stressed that “we are 139 and we can use this figure to turn the table in our favour by fielding a reliable and popular lawmaker who is a great bridge builder among us”.

Another PDP stalwart in the House who spoke in the same vein said”we’ll not endorse any candidate of the opposition we too can produce the next speaker of the House so we are going to frontally confront them,” he added.

Gbajabiamila in his letter had stated why he wants to be the man that can step into Aminu Tambuwal’s shoes in the next House.

He explained that in January 2010, he struck the deafening silence of his colleagues across party lines on the impending leadership vacuum created by absence of President Umar Yar’adua who travelled to Saudi Arabia for medical help under doubtful circumstances. Consequently, Gbajabiamila was the first and only legislator to move a motion on the floor of the House for invocation of doctrine of necessity that eventually led to elevation of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from Vice President to Acting President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. Gbajabiamila also turned down the national award of OFR conferred on him on the ground that the abused rewarding system in Nigeria needs reform first.

His exceptional record saw him overwhelmingly re-elected in 2007 and elected as AC leader and Minority Whip of the House. In 2011, Gbajabiamila was re-elected ACN leader and leader of the opposition by his colleagues in the House. While in this position, Femi Gbajabiamila revived the role of opposition in the House and maintained a tough stance against the ruling party, PDP. In this capacity he has also instituted lawsuits against the Federal Government most recently on appropriation without due approval from the National Assembly and the deployment of the Nigerian military during elections.

Over the last 12 years, Gbajabiamila’s legislative focus as covered employee rights, local content in construction, industry, vocational schools, economic stimulus, interest-free students loans and constitutional reform.

Jiibrin in his letter also told his colleagues to help deepen democracy in Nigeria with his 3-point legislative agenda.

He promised to disclose all the allowances of Reps and adopt transparency as his guiding principle if elected speaker.