The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Tuesday rejected the choice of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives , Femi Gbajabiamila as the next Speaker of the incoming Ninth Assembly.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had endorsed Gbajabiamila as its preferred candidate for the position.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the spokesman for the CUPP, Imo Ugochinyere said Gbajabiamila’s choice was contrary to the present administration’s acclaimed war against corruption.

Flanked by national chairmen of 12 other political parties , Ugochinyere said the lawmaker was incompetent to be the Speaker of the House because he had earlier been convicted of ‘willful dishonesty’ by the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia in the United States .

Although Ugochinyere said the CUPP was not interested in who the lawmakers decide to lead them, he pointed out that Gbajabiamila’s choice was morally, politically and constitutionally wrong.

He revealed that the CUPP, through the Action Peoples Party (APP) has commenced criminal proceedings against the lawmaker before a Grade 1 Area Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Karshi.

He explained that the case was instituted because Gbajabiamila had at different times given false information on oath to the Independent National Electoral (INEC) when he claimed in his Form CF001 that he had never been indicted by a tribunal, court or any administrative panel of fraud or dishonesty .

“A court in the FCT has issued criminal summons on Femi Gbajabiamila to appear in person on June 10 and the court also granted an ex parte application to serve him by substituted means through the Clerk of the National Assembly,” the spokesman said.

Ugochinyere further disclosed that the CUPP was in support of the use of secret ballot  to elect the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly as it was the only way to allow lawmakers vote for their leaders according to their conscience.