LAGOS – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has revealed that he was offered the sum of N100 million during the 5th national assembly in order to support a Third Term agenda for the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
He stated this in his book ‘MR SPEAKER: The legislative life, service, and resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila’ written by Charles Omole and Musa Krishi and forwarded by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General.
In a copy sighted by DAILY INDEPENDENT, Gbajabiamila said while other lawmakers were offered N50m to support an amendment to the constitution that will accommodate the Third term agenda, he was offered N100m which he rejected.
Asked about his best moments as a lawmaker, Gbajabiamila was unequivocal in his choice. He was unapologetic about the role he played in killing the Third Term Agenda. “My best moment as a lawmaker? The death of Third Term”, he said repeatedly to drive home his point.
He continued “The day it was pronounced dead, because like I told you, we had sleepless nights. We were meeting; we got a place in Asokoro, hidden somewhere. We’d start our meetings sometimes at 11 at night and leave there at 4 am in the morning. Can’t remember how many of us. It was a risk to life. It was a risk to life”.
“So, the day it was pronounced dead, was a happy day; it was a relief to me. I was a free man. Look, I was offered inducement, at that time, by one of the major proponents of Third Term, I think at this point, I wouldn’t mention his name, but a major player in this country.
“Whilst they were offering members N50 million, I was offered double. An N100m at that time, and you know what N100m was, which, of course, I turned down. I say that just for you to understand the pressure: financial, mental, and physical pressure. We had no other job in the House except Third Term, the constitutional amendment”.
“So, for me, unfortunately as noble as that work was, the best time was the day it died, not the Third Term itself, but the day it was killed on the floor” Gbajabiamila recollected with some relief.
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