· South-east senators-elect, APC Integrity Group caution against marginalization of zones
· PDP Senators-elect reject Akpabio’s choice
The ranks of the 10th National Assembly elects have been unsettled following reports of the endorsement by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of Godswill Akpabio, Barau Tajudeen Abass and Benjamin Kalu for the positions of Senate President and Deputy President as well as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has unsettled members-elect for the 10th National Assembly.
It emerged at the weekend that the President-elect at a meeting with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) members and other critical stakeholders arrived at the choice of the four lawmakers for the positions of presiding officers in the next legislative session.
Akpabio is a former governor of Akwa -Ibom, Senate Minority Leader and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, while Jibrin Barau (APC Kano), a ranking member of the senate (APC, Kano) is the chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation.
Also Hon Tajudeen Abass is the member representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State and chairman, House committee on Land Transport while, Kalu who represents Bendel federal constituency of Abia State and House Spokesperson.
About 10 members-elect, each for the two chambers of the National Assembly had been jostling for the Senate Presidency and House Speakership.
For the Senate Presidency, the contenders include: the Senate Chief Whip, Uzor Orji Kalu, Godswill Akpabio, Jibrin Barau, former governor of Gombe, Danjuma Goje; former Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole, former Zamfara governor, Abdul-Aziz Yari; the outgoing going governor of Ebonyi, Dave Umahi and former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume as well as former APC National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso.
Those for the House of Representatives are Ahmed Wase, deputy speaker; Gagdi (APC, Plateau), Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia); Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara); Makki Yalleman (APC-Jigawa), Tajudeen Abass (Kaduna); Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), Abdulraheem Olawuyi (APC, Kwara) and Miriam Onuoha (APC, Imo) jostling for the speakership position.
The Senate President and Speakership aspirants have been intensifying campaign, making declaration and traversing the length and breadth of the country canvassing for support.
Consequently, the decision by Tinubu and APC came to those not favoured as a bombshell and most of them have kicked against it threatening fire and brimstone.
In a swift reaction, one of the aspirants, Abdulaziz Yari (APC Zamfare) rejected the Akpabio/Jibrin ticket, saying the contest for the Senate presidency will be based on constitutional provisions and not instructions by anyone.
He said: “What is going to happen that day, it is going to happen based on the instructions of the constitution and not for anyone.”
Yari maintained that the contest was Senators’ business, backed by the 1999 Constitution to choose their leaders within themselves and not based on instructions from anyone.
Also, it was gathered from a reliable source in the camp of Orji Kalu who is another strong contender from the position that the choice of Akpabio was unacceptable.
The source who does not want to be mentioned insisted that the former Abia governor was going ahead with his aspiration without
“recourse to the endorsement of Akpabio by Asiwaju Tinibu.”
Similarly, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator-elect who pleaded anonymity said the former governor Akwa-Ibom only has the support of only three of the 36 PDP Senators-elect from Rivers State because of Governor Nyesom Wike’s alliance with APC at the centre.
“He is offering us money but we don’t want his money because he is not principled. He will eventually sell out the Senate if allowed to emerge the Senate President.
“Remember what he did in 2018/2019. The PDP honoured him as a first-timer in the Senate by giving him an exalted position of Minority Leader.
“Without any just cause, save for his pocket and selfish interest, he abandoned the PDP midstream and joined APC. He was rewarded with a ministerial position. We can’t trust such person as a Senate President, he is unstable,” the PDP Senator-elect said.
On its part, the South-East Senate caucus on Sunday in Abuja cautioned Tinubu and National Leadership of APC) against injustice and outright marginalisation of the zone by the choice of Akpabio.
In a communique released to journalists after several hours of meeting held at the Maitama residence of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP Anambra South ), Senators – elect from the East vehemently kicked against marginalisation of the zone .
They posited that since the zone was tactically denied presidential ticket of any of the two major political parties in the February 2023 general election, the position of Senate Presidency supposed to have been given it in the interest of Justice and fairness.
The communique reads: “We have observed with dismay the antics of persons with vested selfish Interests who have planted themselves around the President elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and have vowed to shut out the South East from the Senate Presidency of the 10th Senate.
“Beyond ethnic and religious considerations, in the forthcoming 10th Senate, the Southeast has been blessed with ranking Senators-elect Including members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who have the cranial capacity, competence, influence, experience and Political followership to pilot the affairs of the Red Chamber, it becomes imperative that the All Progressives Congress upholds the Principle of natural Justice and equity which it preaches founded on reasons and zone the seat of Senate President to the South East region.
“That the President elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu should extend the same democratic opportunity he received from the outgoing administration which gave all aspirants equal opportunity to exercise their fundamental and constitutional rights during the APC Presidential Primaries.
“Mr President-elect, how would an average Igbo man feel after he sees evidence of total discrimination. The South-East has been denied the chance of producing the president of Nigeria since 1966. The South South has produced President for six years and also had Deputy Senate President in the outgoing administration. The only zone in the South that has not been favoured is the South-East. The outcry of marginalization by the South-East and the entire Igbo should be addressed by your incoming administration rather than aggravating it.
“On this note we have collectively resolved to support South-East aspirants of the APC. We remain committed and have since expanded negotiations with other well-meaning Senators-elect to rally round the South-East to ensure that justice, fairness and unity of the country prevails”.
Aside Senator Ubah who read the Communique others present at the meeting were Senators Orji Kalu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh and Osita Izunaso, Ezenwa Oyewuchi, Tony Nwoye, PC Ndubueze, Okey Ezea, Kelvin Chukwu and Osita Ngwu.
The same rumbles are resonating on the choice of Abbas and Kalu for speakership and deputy positions for clear indications the aspirants will further their ambitions.
For instance, Gagdi (APC, Plateau) despite the news of endorsement of his Kaduna co-contestant went ahead with his elaborate declaration on Saturday in Abuja with a good number of lawmakers-elect from APC and other parties in attendance.
Gadgi had urged the president-elect and the APC to zone presiding officer positions for the 10th National Assembly without endorsing specific individuals for particular offices.
He specifically asked the president-elect and the party to zone the position of Speaker to the North Central zone, and allow a free and fair contest.
He said, “I will continue to be a law-abiding member just as I have ever been, I will continue to be an advocate of justice equity and fairness. I will not be deterred by any act that seems to undermine the principle of justice.
“Our president-elect, Asiwaju, I am following his footsteps based on his potential, antecedents and based on what he means for Nigeria. I cannot remember as an APC member where Mr President-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, was endorsed as consensus candidate for our party. No, it was only zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria.”
One of the aggrieved lawmakers-elect, who spoke on condition of anonymity, dismissed insinuations over the alleged ill-feelings against Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and the current spokesman of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia).
He said: “While we do not have anything against the person and aspiration of the gentleman, we wish to stress that the will of the people and by extension of constituents will determine the choice of who to lead the 10th assembly.
“For us, what played out some few weeks back has further exposed the hidden agenda of the promoters of division among his contemporaries. Rather than reciprocating the kind gestures extended to him by most of the high-ranking members who out of persuasion and honour, stepped down their speakership ambitions in the wake to the inauguration of the 9th assembly.
Apart from lawmakers, concerned groups have expressed misgivings about the endorsement of Akpabio, Jibrin; Abass and Kalu for offices of presiding officers in the 10th Assembly.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Group has called on the President-elect Tinubu and the National Working Committee (NWC) members of APC not to plunge the party into unwarranted crisis by allowing one geo-political zone to produce two presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly.
The Integrity Group members are made up of the members of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The group said it would be in the interest of the party to zone the Presiding Offices of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to different geo-political zones.
The Group, in a statement signed by the Coordinator and Secretary, Malam Dawu Mohammed and Comrade Chisom Nwakanma respectively, said the position of Deputy Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives cannot go to the same zone.
The group said: “we have observed the horse trading going on about the presiding offices of the 10th Assembly and we consider it pertinent to advise that two presiding offices should not go to one geo-political zone. Doing so, we believe would be injurious to the unity and existence of the party.
“We, also consider it a concern that the NWC of our party had till date not been able to come up with the zoning formula. This situation had led to different interests and agitations that we are witnessing among our elected lawmakers.
“The APC Integrity Group expect that those take lawmakers to the President-elect for endorsement should do that in the interest of the country and not because of juicy committees and other considerations.
“The President-elect and the party leadership should know that whatever crises that comes from the zoning and election of the presiding officers, they are responsible for them.
“It is our sincere view that the Deputy Senate President should be zoned to the North Central since the party is considering zoning the Speaker House of Representatives to the North-West.
“For us, what is paramount is a viable 10th National Assembly, which we believe could be achieved with proper zoning and competent leadership.”
Similarly, a non-governmental organisation, Democrats Alliance for Good Governance (DAGG) condemned in strong terms the report making the rounds concerning what it called secret adoption of one of the aspirants for the position of the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, Abbas, from Kaduna State and Kalu from Abia State as the deputy speaker.
The coalition’s national coordinator, Dr. Williams Martins, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.
He said: “We are most jolted and sincerely betrayed especially when we got the hint that the preferred aspirant was taken by hand to be introduced to the president-elect.
“This development for us is not only demeaning, but degrading and absurd for the calibre of Nigerians who were elected by over 50 million electorates during the 25th February and supplementary elections.”
Furthermore, arising from its extraordinary emergency meeting on Sunday, the Forum of Former Members of the House of Representatives from the North Central Zone stated that if the media reports about the said zoning decisions were true, then the President elect would have allowed himself to be misled by those they described as “selfish” individuals within the party.
The group of former lawmakers who issued a 7-point demands in their communique read by Hon. Idris Yakubu, a member of the 4th Assembly after the meeting lamented that the North Central zone was being unfairly treated by the party despite having kept faith with it since 2015.
The document titled: ‘Need for Justice and Equity in Allocating Key Offices In the National Assembly’, the former legislators said: “We wish to state without equivocation, that the issue we are addressing here has been carefully considered and treated with all sense of responsibility, while the position we have taken on the matter is in the best interest of the incoming administration of H.E Sen Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and for the greater good of our dear country, Nigeria.”