Obasanjo, Jonathan explain opposition to Tambuwal’s 2011 Speaker bid, cite party, gender inclusion

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he and former President Goodluck Jonathan initially opposed the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011.

Obasanjo stated the opposition was driven by party considerations and a desire to sustain gender inclusion in legislative leadership.

Obasanjo disclosed this in Abuja at a leadership colloquium marking the 60th birthday of Tambuwal, a former Speaker and ex-governor of Sokoto State.

The event gathered prominent figures including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, among other political leaders.

In 2011, Tambuwal, then a second-term lawmaker, defeated the party’s preferred candidate, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, in a contest where he polled 252 votes to her 90.

Explaining their stance, Obasanjo said, “Our thinking was that if, for the first time, a woman had become Speaker of the House, she should be encouraged to remain there.”

However, he acknowledged that lawmakers exercised their constitutional independence.

“Your members thought otherwise, and you made your decision. And we supported your decision,” he added.

Speaking virtually, former President Jonathan corroborated the account, admitting to disagreements but praising Tambuwal’s leadership.

“One thing I must give to Tambuwal is that members of the House believed so much in him,” Jonathan stated.

Former Senate President David Mark recounted how Tambuwal and his deputy effectively conscripted him into their political rebellion ahead of the election.

“They told me clearly that whether the President and the party wanted them or not, they would emerge… and that I would sponsor them,” Mark recalled, noting he deliberately ignored party pressure to locate Tambuwal on the eve of the vote.

In his remarks, Tambuwal described Nigeria as being at a critical juncture, urging that national recovery must transcend personal ambition or ethnic sentiment.

“We are in urgent need of salvation from years of missteps and poor governance,” he said, calling for honest acknowledgment of the country’s challenges.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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