Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will today deliberate on the tussle for the National Assembly leadership.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of heightened lobby of some governors to insist on the retention of the zoning arrangement earlier made by the party.
The Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who doubles as the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum had faulted the zoning arrangement of APC National Working Committee (NWC), describing it as unworkable, skewed and reinforcing injustice and enhancing inequity.
APC had zoned the Senate President position (South South, Godswill Akpabio), Deputy Senate President (North West, Senator Jibrin Barau); Speaker (North West, Hon Tajudeen Abbas); Deputy Speaker (South East, Benjamin Kalu).
Even though the APC national chairman Abdullahi Adamu hinted last week that the zoning arrangement would be revisited, after a series of protests by aggrieved aspirants, some party stakeholders have insisted on retention of the zoning arrangement.
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP learnt that fresh overtures were made to some of the aspirants for the Speaker of House of Representatives to accept deputy speaker position after they had earlier turned down ministerial offers.
LEADERSHIP had earlier reported exclusively that ministerial positions were offered to some of the aggrieved aspirants to make them forgo and accept Abbas who enjoys the backing of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamilia.
The aggrieved aspirants, popularly called G-6, are, Deputy speaker Hon. Ahmed Wase, Hon. Aliyu Betara, Hon. Sada Soli, Hon. Miriam Onuhoa, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, and Hon Sani Jaji.
However, a source close to the aggrieved aspirants, who pleaded anonymity said, “We are very confident that when the APC governors meet tomorrow (today), they will offer quality advice and proper solutions to the lingerie g crisis.
“The party appears to have forgotten that at no time had any system at the level of the President of ruling party leadership endorsed a particular speakership candidate successfully. Any steps toward that had always failed and this won’t be different.
“Quite honestly, more than 80 percent of the governors feel the zoning was wrongly done without proper understanding and consultation as the national chairman admitted.
“But the issue is that some of them are too scared to talk, especially when they hear Gbajabiamila will be chief of staff. Only the Ondo State governor has spoken and we commend him for what he did. He has really nailed it on the head.
“So, as we wait patiently, we are not losing our guards because these people are desperate to break our ranks. Several attempts have been made to intimidate us but they always failed.”
The source further revealed that emissaries were sent to the aggrieved aspirants to allow Hon Abbas get the position while the G6 group nominates someone from the South East as deputy.
“This is the second time they will reject an offer. First they promised to make Wase and Betara substantive ministers, but they refused the offer. The tour of Abbas is to beg the South West Governors to prevail on Akeredolu to back down his opposition because they know he is a strong voice who pursues his desires forcefully. He doesn’t care about who is involved once he is convinced about an issue.
“They wanted to go to Aketi but he turned the visit down. It means that the worst case scenario looming is…Benjamin Kalu is penciled to be sacrificed because according to the source, if the aggrieved aspirants accept, Kalu will be the minister to represent his state, Abia,” the source noted.
“All we want is that we in the House will elect our leader. It can be anyone, but certainly not Abbas because the southwest cannot dictate to the north what belongs to the north.
“Initially, we felt we must protect our party; but it does appear our party is not prepared to protect itself. It has failed in being and has caved in to Gbajabiamila and his boys.”
It was however gathered that the opposition lawmakers especially of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are weighing their prospects of springing a “surprise nomination.”
A source within the PDP who stated this however noted that they are still watching how the APC goes about resolving zoning arrangements and whether it can carry all stakeholders along.”
We Will Not Allow Repeat Of 2015 Drama – National Vice Chairman
Contrary to the fear that the replay of the 2015 drama when the opposition hijacked the National Assembly and installed Dr. Bukola Saraki and Aminu Tambuwal as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, is imminent in the next National Assembly, the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC), has said the party would not allow such to happen again.
The National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the APC, Hon Duerimini Isaacs Kekemeke, gave this assurance in Akure, the Ondo state capital during the weekend.
Kekemeke disclosed that the party is working hard to ensure that all aggrieved members of the party are brought together in the same position before the National Assembly convenes next month.
Kekemeke, who represented president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the lecture organized in honour of Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti to mark his 97th said the party still has enough time to bring the warring factions together before the inauguration of the National Assembly.
The party had zoned the Senate presidency to the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Apabio further from the South-South geo-political zone, his deputy Barau Jubrin from Northwest, speaker of House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen from North West, and his deputy, Ben Kalu, from Southeast geo-political zone.
But this development raised dust among members of the party, including Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who faulted that arrangement, describing it as an injustice and working against the unity of the country by excluding the North Central geo-political and Southeast zone from its zoning arrangement.
Akeredolu said the zoning of the leadership position by the APC in the yet-to-be-constituted 10th National Assembly defied logic and would enhance injustice in the polity of the country.
Kekemeke however assured that “opposition will not take over the national assembly, both the President-elect and party are working tirelessly to ensure that whatever you perceive as acrimony will be sorted out and this is democracy.
“But I can assure you that the national working committee of our great party is having an interface with those aspirants of the House of Representatives and the Senate and in the short while, everything will be sorted out.
“I don’t think there is cause for alarm, this is normal and this is what our party is known for, we believe in democratic engagement and we all know that the president-elect is an engager.”
On the position of Governor Akeredolu against the decision of the party, Kekemeke said “you know our Governor has a knack for fearless, justice but I know that the governor will be further briefed, they will all be on the same line with the party and the president-elect and I am sure some of the reasons for the decision taken will be explained to him.”
Delivering the message of Tinubu to Pa Fasoranti, Kekemeke said; “the President-elect has so much respect for Pa. Fasoranti and that is why he sent me down here to represent him as we all know that he has traveled out of the country and what he asked me to tell Baba Fasoranti was that when he was running he prayed for him and now that the prayers have been answered.”
He further stated that “He is willing to keep to his promises and to assure Nigerians through Baba Fasoranti that he is going to deliver on his campaign promises on the renewed hope, that Nigeria is going to smile again and that when he returns, he will see Baba Fasoranti personally.
We Rejected Abbas, Kalu’s Nomination To save The Legislature – Jaji
Meanwhile, One of the aspirants for the Speaker of the incoming 10th House of Representatives has reiterated that the G7 group rejected the choice of Tajuddeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as consensus candidates for collective national not individual interest in order to save the legislature.
He stated this while reiterating his stand on the position taken by members of the group in Abuja on Saturday. The G7 is a group formed by the seven APC aggrieved aspirants vying for the office of the Speaker in the incoming 10th House of Representatives.
Jaji therefore urged the National Assembly members-elect to disregard the so-called endorsement. ”l would like to use this medium to clear some issues that are going round, you know the president-elect is a true democrat, an icon of hope. He is ready to support democracy and not to truncate democracy.
“So, for him, anybody aspiring to be a Speaker of the 10th Assembly, he considers us as one and anybody who wishes to go and see Mr. President-elect for blessing and prayers is welcome.
“I would like to call on my honourable colleagues to please disregard any information, making the round linked to the president-elect. He is a man of integrity, a man of wisdom, and a man of honour. “As it is today, some of us aspirants had to go individually to see the president-elect for support and prayers but others who didn’t have the opportunity had to look for their sponsors and busybody people to take them round therefore you have to take note of that,” he said.
APC Zoning Stands, South South NASS Caucus Insists
The forum of former National Assembly members South-South has commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership for zoning the office of the Senate President to the region.
The caucus urged the APC to sustain the zoning by ensuring it is actualised.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday in Abuja, a member of the forum, Hon John H Agoda said the leadership of the APC have done the right thing, urging them to sustain the zoning formula.
He said the leadership of the Party recently clarified that her earlier zoning of respective offices to geo-political zones and individuals will be reviewed subject to a wider consultation.
According to him, “As former members of the National Assembly, we believe and demand that all persons elected as principal officers of the 10th National Assembly should be above board and people of integrity and without blemish.
While citing the Senate rules, the group said order 3 rule for the avoidance of doubt, said: “A Senator-elect when nominated and seconded shall inform the Senate whether he or she accepts the nomination. He/she may then proceed to address the Senate.
“A senator-elect, addressing the clerk, shall propose another senator-elect to the Senate to be president of the Senate and shall move that such Senator-elect “Do take the chair of the Senate as president of the Senate.” Another senator-elect shall second the nomination.
“In compliance with this constitutional position, the country’s ethno-religious, cultural, and regional diversity and balance must be considered.
Speaking further, Agoda explained that the clarification by the APC has brought relief and succour to the people of the South-South Zone as it has opened the democratic space for the APC senators-elected from the Zone (seven number) who may wish to exercise their rights to contest for the Office of the Senate President, to do so without encumbrances.
“We reiterate our gratitude and support for the decision of the President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and APC National leadership in zoning the Senate Presidency to the South-South.
“We also commend the people of the South-South geo-political zone for electing more National Assembly Members on the platform of the APC and the people of Cross River State for electing a member of this Forum, Senator Bassey Otu as governor of the state.”
The forum, however, noted that unlike the House of Representatives where only ranking members can aspire to the position of Speakership and deputy speakership positions, all Senators-elect are qualified to contest for the offices of Senate president and deputy Senate president.
