In a move that is likely to influence the tussle for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday appointed a former governor of Benue State, George Akume, as the next secretary to government of the federation (SGF).
Stakeholders have interpreted Akume’s emergence as SGF as an effort to placate the North Central geopolitical zone, which was overlooked in the choice of candidates endorsed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to fill the top four presiding officers’ positions in the National Assembly.
Some party faithful who spoke with LEADERSHIP in confidence said the appointment of Akume as SGF may have been done to pave way for Hon Tajudeen Abbas from the North West to become Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
The APC had endorsed the duo of Godswill Akpabio from the South South and Abbas from the North West as Senate president and Speaker of the 10th House respectively.
Senator Jibrin Barau also from the North West and Benjamin Kalu from the South East were endorsed as their deputies.
But Senator Sani Musa from Niger State is in the race to be deputy Senate President and has the backing of Senators-elect from the region.
In the House, the current deputySspeaker, Idris Wase, is in the race for Speaker and has remained steadfast in his determination to run for the number four seat in the country despite the endorsement of Abbas by the party.
Meanwhile, in Tinubu’s first set of appointments yesterday, President Tinubu also appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his Chief of Staff.
Gbajabiamila was re-elected into the House of Representatives from his Surulere federal constituency in the 2023 general election but the seat of Speaker has been zoned to the North West by the governing APC.
The president also announced the appointment of Sen Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, a former deputy governor of Jigawa State as deputy chief of staff.
The appointments were announced in a statement by the director of Information at the presidential villa, Abiodun Oladunjoye.
In a terse statement to acknowledge the appointment, Gbajabiamila thanked Tinubu for finding him worthy, saying with his 20-year experience at the National Assembly he was well equipped for the task ahead.
The Speaker said, “Thank you Mr President for finding me worthy of being your Chief of Staff. Having spent the last 20 years in the Nigerian Parliament, and after winning my 6th term election into the National Assembly, I shall work with Mr President in discharging the enormous task ahead of him for the peace and progress of the federal republic of Nigeria.
“I shall give my best when I take office on June 14 2023 as reflected in Mr. President’s official letter”.
SGF Not Enough, North Central Kick, Insists On Deputy Senate President, FCT Minister
But stakeholders from the North Central yesterday told President Tinubu that the appointment of Akume as the next SGF was not enough to pacify them.
The North Central People’s Forum (NCPF) which commended the president for appointing one of them as SGF insisted however that with the quantum of votes given to Tinubu in the last election, the zone should be given the office of the deputy Senate President and the office of minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The North Central forum noted that while they are grateful with the position of the SGF, someone from the FCT should get a ministerial slot of any portfolio but preferably FCT minister since the constitution says FCT should be treated as a state.
Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the national publicity secretary of the forum, Hon Audu Sule, said the people of the North Central, including Abuja, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa and Kwara States, know Abuja very well, adding that one of them should be appointed the FCT minister.
He said, “First of all we thank Mr President for appointing one of our sons, father and brother as the SGF. We want to particularly congratulate Sen George Akume for the appointment because he is eminently qualified.
“But that is not enough to pacify us. If you look at the vote the APC pulled in North Central it was massive. We were able to lead in all the states except for Plateau and FCT that went to the Labour Party.
“We want the office of the deputy Senate president to go to the North Central. That is the office we have not occupied. In the past, military governments appointed ministers of FCT from the North Central. That’s what we want from the present administration.
“Also, if you check in the previous government, the North East had a Senate President and the SGF. So, we want the office of the deputy Senate president. It will be good for the north central to get it because out of the seven states, we give five to the APC.
“We are also calling for the North Central state to be considered for the office of the FCT minister because the people understand the area very well. Also the FCT should be given a ministerial appointment.”
70 Senators-elect Backs Akpabio, Barau
Meanwhile, the Stability Group in the 10th Senate rooting for the Senators Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau leadership of the Senate from June 13 hosted over 70 Senators-elect to a dinner at the Transcorp Hotel where they declared support for the former Niger Delta Affairs minister.
Information pieced together at the venue of the well-attended dinner revealed that it was organised to enable the Senators-elect the opportunity to rub minds and compare notes on the progress so far recorded since it started consultations with relevant party structures, stakeholders, leaders of thought and Senators-elect on the aspirations of Senators Akpabio and Barau for the leadership of the 10th Senate.
It was also learnt that attendance at the dinner cut across party lines, a confirmation that members of the group were more than committed to handling issues brought before it in a bipartisan manner for national development and unity.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the session, Akpabio said the dinner was organized by the leadership of the group for members to further deliberate on how to collaborate with the president Tinubu-led administration for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerians.
He said, “Today’s meeting is a continuation of the one earlier held at the Frazer Suites. We believe that it is important we continue to bond together because God has put us together for the next four years to work for the benefit of Nigerians in the 10th Senate”.
Speaking further, the former Senate Minority Leader said, “We believe that every Senator irrespective of his or her political party is first and foremost a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
On the allegation that the Senate under his leadership would be a rubber stamp, Akpabio said, “The answer is very simple. In America, the vice president is the presiding officer of the Senate and does that make them a rubber stamp? We would look at issues thoroughly and even the Executive would be happy.
“We will hold robust discussions and public sittings before we come up with any bill for presidential assent towards improving the living standards of Nigerians. The 10th Senate is made up of not only men and women of high integrity but people of diverse experience and they are bringing all these to bear for the benefit of the incumbent administration of President Tinubu.
“We will not be a rubber stamp Senate; rather we will rubber stamp whatever is good for Nigerians and what Nigerians want. Things would change in Nigeria for good under this administration and that is our promise to Nigerians. Be rest assured that we shall succeed by the special grace of God.”
On allegation of corruption against him, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State stated that as a politically exposed individual, he was expectant of all those innuendo.
“The allegation against me is that when I was governor, I showed love to all and sundry, that I declared free and compulsory education for all Nigerian children who were resident in Akwa Ibom State.
“I am being accused because I love God so much that I assembled the largest choir in the world to sing to God and broke the Guiness Book of world record. I was an uncommon performer as a governor, through the execution of landmark projects totaling over 500 that I couldn’t even commission before I left office.
“There is no politically exposed person that people will not throw innuendo at. Allegations would continue to go after politically exposed persons of high calibre. You don’t look at all those, you look at my track records,” he declared.
Earlier, Sneator Jibrin Barau described the rumour of his joint ticket with Akpabio being jettisoned by President Tinubu as wishful thinking by those who are scared of the joint ticket.
“The APC is the largest party in Africa. It is a respected party whose words are its bond. There is nothing like the president and the party having backed out of their support for us. The APC is a very serious and respected party. The alleged withdrawal of support by the President only exists in the minds of those who are yet to come to terms with the position of the party on the national assembly leadership is final and sacrosanct.” Barau told journalists.
Meanwhile, the APC preferred candidate for the office of the Senate president of the 10th Assembly, Akpabio, has declared that he will always respect the institution of the parliament.
Akpabio spoke when he made a surprise appearance at the Senate New Building of the National Assembly in response to a telephone invitation by the chairman of the Senate Ad Hoc committee, Senator Yusuf Yusuf, investigating the budgets of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The Senate President hopeful said he will always respect the parliament as an institution.
Akpabio who was accompanied by members of the Senate Stability Group of the 10th Senate said, “ I received a call late last night from the chairman of the committee to appear by10 am today and as a law abiding citizen and respecter of the parliament, I am here to honour the invitation, but unfortunately, Senator Yusuf and other members of the committee are not around for over three and half hours now.
“I was required to bring certain documents relating to the investigation of the Ad Hoc Committee on NDDC budgets. I honoured the invitation with both serving and incoming colleagues of mine. But unfortunately, we have been here for over three hours without any member of the Ad-Hoc Committee here at the chairman’s office.
“Luckily we got Senator Yusuf on the phone, and he confirmed that today being Friday, members must have gone to the mosque while some would have traveled out of Abuja and a new date would be fixed.”
