Some members of the 5th Assembly of the Nigeria Youth Parliament under the auspices of Concerned Members’ have rejected Comrade Yishau Azeezat as the speaker, saying her emergence “is a product of illegality.”
The group, in a press statement on Friday in Abuja, said her recognition was “an act of manipulation of the processes as the winner of the speakership election is Rt. Hon. John Oluwabori Oyelami who came first with 32 votes, while Azeezat came second with 30 votes.”
According to Masud Darma, who signed the address, the entire process was compromised by external forces who are bent on imposing their candidate against the popular will of the youth.
“We condemn in its entirety the compromised processes that characterised the election of the leadership of the 5th Session of the Nigeria Youth Parliament conducted at the national Assembly Complex on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
“Seven aspirants were nominated for the office of the speaker with Rt. Hon. Oluwabori coming first with 32 votes, Yishau Azeezat, second with 30 votes, Ona Joseph (13 votes), Mubarak Saliu (nine votes), Dieprebra Solomon Bigbo (eight), Kikiowo Ayodele (three votes) and Sani Kafeel with one vote, while three votes were invalid.
“As members of the fifth session of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, we must not allow our session to serve the precedence of this illegality as perpetuated by former clerk and the current clerk of the Nigeria Youth Parliament in the National Assembly and one Ali Balogun, the special assistant on youth to the speaker of the House of Representatives.”
