10th Speakership: I Didn’t Shun Meeting With Tinubu – Jaji

One of the aspirants for the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly, Aminu Sani Jaji, has said that he did not shun the meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

Naija News recalls that President Tinubu met with the Senators-elect and House Representative members-elect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) behind closed doors on Wednesday.

However, reports emerged that Jaji and the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, were conspicuously absent from the meeting due to their refusal to accept Tajudeen Abass as the anointed candidate of the APC for the office of the Speaker.

But in a statement on Thursday, the convener of Jaji Support Group, Sanni Mustapha, confirmed that the lawmaker was in the meeting with Tinubu and would never shun the president’s call.

Mustapha added that the lawmaker was instrumental to the president’s electoral success and would not do anything that would undermine his leadership.

The statement reads: “Jaji and the President have a long-standing political relationship that transcends the House of Representatives politics. On Wednesday night, Aminu Sani Jaji met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with other speakership aspirants. The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to discuss the ongoing leadership tussle at the National Assembly.

“According to reports, the President urged lawmakers to work with the zoning by the party chosen for leadership posts in the Senate and House of Representatives while unequivocally stating no support for any candidate.

“Our supporters should kindly disregard such insinuation that he deliberately shunned the meeting. Hon. Jaji and Asiwaju have been together for long.

“As Director of Contact and Mobilisation for the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the North West, our leader worked tirelessly to ensure the party was victorious at the polls.

“Those behind the story are only trying to blackmail him out of the race which he is poised to win as the picture of him with other aspirants with the President is already in the public domain.”