Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
No fewer than 195 members-elect have indicated willingness to vote for Hon. Mohammed Bago, for the position of Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives in the coming 9th National Assembly (NASS).
Bago, a third time member representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency of Niger State, is contesting against the All Progressives Congress (APC) endorsed aspirant, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos State.
The lawmaker has based his agitation on “equity and fairness” in the contest for speakership.
Speaking on the current standing of the candidates, a Member-elect from the South West told journalists that the current swing towards Bago may have arisen from a combination of factors, “chiefly his brilliant showing at the interaction which the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held with all the aspirants, including Gbajabiamila, at the Transcorp Hilton last week.”
Besides this, the member-elect, who craved anonymity, stated: “Even within the ruling APC, Hon. Bago has so deftly sold his message that he is currently running neck-to-neck with Gbajabiamila for the signature of our party members.”
Continuing, the member-elect also disclosed that the current crisis of confidence raging among top APC stalwarts is also working perfectly in Bago’s favour.
The member-elect who was obviously referring to the godfather spat between Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and National Leader of the party, Alhaji Bola Tinubu, as well as this week’s epistle by Deputy National Chairman, North of the APC, Senator Lawan Shuaibu, asking the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to resign, stated that Bago’s candidacy is being adopted, promising a surprise on the inauguration day.
He hinted that, arising from the uncertainty surrounding the brickbats, many top members of the party from the North west and North East zones have started making overtures to the Bago group in search of accommodation.
“In fact, if things continue the way they are going, before the end of Sallah festivities billed for next week, the Bago campaign would have become a hurricane, with no fewer than 230 members-elect on board,” he added.
When contacted for comments on the new development, the Spokesman of the Hon. Bago Campaign Organisation, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, stated that issues that have to do with members elect supporting Bago would remain closely guarded until few days to inauguration.
“You know this is a contest involving only 360 members as the electorate, so we are focusing on those that would vote for us, instead of engaging in show-off trips,” Ogene said.
Continuing, the Spokesman said that the group will continue to appeal to all Members-elect, expressing satisfaction that their message of ensuring equity, justice and fairness for the six geo political zones of the country is beginning to resonate even among Members-elect who initially spurned the message.
“We believe that at the end of the day, Hon. Bago will emerge victorious, having come from the North Central that has never held the position since 1999. Besides, the creator of the universe is a God of justice,” Ogene added.
