News Report: Obasanjo's Protege To Emerge Speaker Of Nigeria's Lower Parliament

Honourable. Muraina Ajibola

There are indications that a protege of former President Olusegun Obasanjo may emerge as the Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, when the 7th national assembly session is inaugurated on 3rd of June, 2011.

The Obasanjo protege, Honourable Muraina Ajibola, representing Ibarapa Central/ North federal constituency of Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria, chidi opara reports learned, have already been endorsed by the Peoples' Democratic Party(PDP) in the South-West. PDP retained its majority in the Nigerian upper and lower parliaments in the just concluded elections.

Ajibola, who wrote a minority report during the 2008 House of Representatives Power Probe is reported to be making inroads into PDP caucuses in the other geo-political zones.

The forty-eight-year-old lawyer and Ph.D student of the University of Abuja is also reported to be Obasnjo's eyes in the House of Representatives.

Presidency contacts confirmed to chidi opara reports that President Goodluck Jonathan during the recent presidential retreat in Cross Rivers State, had agreed to zone the position of Speaker to the South-East. "But a call from Obasanjo changed that", one contact revealed.

A high level PDP insider in Ibadan, capital city of Oyo State however informed a chidi opara reports network member last Friday that "nothing is sure, there may be surprises". The surprises alluded to, may be the candidacies of Mulikat Akande, representing Ogbomosho North/South/Orire federal constituency of Oyo State and Tajudeen Abisodun, representing Saki East/West/Atisbo federal constituency, also of Oyo State, whose bids for the position are also reported to be strong.

Further checks by chidi opara reports revealed that Ajibola's ambition is receiving favourable consideration at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja, unless, in the words of a high level staffer at the secretariat, "something scandalous about him emerges between now and June 3rd."