Speakership: Reps Snapped Ballot Papers To Collect $40,000

By Political Correspondent

Members of the House of Representatives were compelled to snap their ballots where they voted for Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila for the purpose of collecting a balance of $40,000 promised for each vote, some members have alleged.

Spokesman of the Mark Terseer Gbillah (PDP, Gwer West/Gwer East Federal Constituency, Benue state), in a statement said that his group was thus heading to court to annul the election on the basis of corruption in voting.

He said that members were induced to vote against their will.

“We believe that if President Buhari himself truly preaches and believes in transparency and anti-corruption, then he should realize what his government and what whom he supported has done to become Speaker of the House,” he said in a statement obtained by GWG.

“We will explore every legitimate means possible to ensure that justice is done and genuine democratic norms prevail.”

“There is verifiable photographic evidence that can be subjected to forensic analysis which clearly confirm that members were taking pictures of either the ‘Green Members’ Card’ or their respective identity cards alongside their respective ballot papers showing whom they voted for, ostensibly for the purpose of going back to receive the balance of the monies they were promised.

“From our findings, it appears that people were initially given ten thousand dollars each with a balance ranging from forty thousand dollars that was supposed to be given for voting for Gbajabiamila; the evidence is there.

“Some of our members across party lines are heading to court to demand nullification of the exercise and for the courts to declare the election null and void and to seek the prosecution of Gbajabiamila and all those members who were part of the anti-democratic conspiracy.

“Members of the G-70 also feel deeply concerned about the involvement of the Clerk of the National Assembly in the whole exercise; because when they complained to him about members going to take pictures, he, in a very unprecedented manner, said it before national television that his own job is just to provide the secrecy of the ballot and that if the members want to compromise their votes, it is their own decision.

“We find it utterly incredible that an umpire in an election of such national and historic significance would allow votes to be compromised without trying to ensure transparency of the process and this made aggrieved members suspect that he was already compromised with the APC led government beforehand.”

Affirming that the clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Omolori should have ensured the secrecy of voting, he said:

“Unfortunately, the CNA condoned what – in the eyes of right-thinking members, constitute a flagrant violation of the laws and therefore, logically justifies being challenged in a court of competent jurisdiction because what eventually transpired made it to be no secret ballot any longer.

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