National Assembly: APC growing stronger after zoning leadership positions

The All Progressives Congress made the controversial decision to give individual lawmakers the power to zone the leadership positions of the two chambers of the National Assembly. As a result of this decision, the opposition to the decision is growing stronger, and the anointed candidates have started making moves to convince their colleagues to accept the ruling party’s position.

The Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was anointed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, as the President of the Senate in the 10th Senate, had reached out to other aspirants for the position, who are aggrieved by his choice, and reportedly promised them headship of committees of the Senate considered to be “juicy.” Other aspirants for the position are upset about Akpabio’s choice.

It was discovered that Akpabio had a meeting with some of the individuals who were against him being appointed to the position.

It is said that the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, who is said to be aware of the plot against him, promised that he would not forget his opponents while sharing committee positions in the next Senate. It is also said that he is aware of the plot against him.

It was also reported that the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, met with Akpabio and discussed the necessity of bringing his fellow senators along with him in the running of the Senate when he takes office. This information was gathered.

Because of the sensitivity of the issues at stake, a source close to Akpabio who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “You know that Akpabio is not new to power play. At a time when someone serving in the Senate for the first time was not permitted to hold a principal officer position, he served as the leader of the minority.

“He works well with others. He is well-versed in the fundamentals, and I am able to disclose to you that he has held conversations with some of the individuals who are openly campaigning against him. They will be given favorable positions on the various committees as a component of the overall strategy.

According to the source, the former governor is scheduled to arrive in Lagos today (Sunday) in order to participate in strategic meetings with the relevant stakeholders.

Tajudeen Abass, the APC’s candidate for the speakership, and Benjamin Kalu, the party’s preferred candidate for the deputy speakership, are subtly putting pressure on state governors elected on the platform of the party to convince fellow lawmakers to support them in the House of Representatives. Both candidates are vying for the positions of speaker and deputy speaker.

On Saturday, Abass and Kalu took their campaign to win the top positions in the Green Chamber to the state of Lagos, where they met with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu alongside members of the Joint Task Team. There, they made an appeal to Governor Sanwo-Olu to sell their candidacy to his fellow governors and to help pacify other disgruntled aspirants, who have rejected their imposition by the ruling party.

In his remarks to the governor, Abass emphasized the importance of maintaining harmony within the House of Representatives and the nation as a whole. He also mentioned that the members-elect who make up his team are organized along party lines.

The lawmaker stated that the recent general elections caused more divisions in the country, and he emphasized that in order for the nation to be healed, the President-elect, whom he described as a unifying leader, needed to have detribalized Nigerians at the helm of affairs in the legislature.

He stated that “Our goal is to make sure that the nation is united in order to face the challenges that are currently facing it.” We take on the responsibility of leading the House with the intention of establishing a positive working relationship between the executive branch and the legislature that is free from animosity.

“In areas where there are bound to be disagreements, we are going to make sure that problems are solved through dialogue. It is of the utmost importance that the House maintain its equilibrium. We will heal the wound, especially the ones that were caused by the various competitors in this race.”

Abass urged Sanwo-Olu to reach out to governors and other aspirants for conversation that would make the election of presiding officers in the National Assembly hassle-free, and he pledged that he would not fail the party or his predecessors. Abass urged Sanwo-Olu to reach out to governors and other aspirants for conversation that would make the election hassle-free.

On his end, Kalu stated that a leadership of the House led by Abass would inspire institutional trust in the tenth National Assembly. He also stated that the decision of the House would reflect the interests of all Nigerians.

Bello Kumo, who represents the Akko Federal Constituency in Gombe State and is the leader of the Joint Task Team, stated that the leadership that is being provided by Abass will not compromise the autonomy of the House.

In addition to this, he pressed Sanwo-Olu to broach the subject of the Abass agenda with the other governors that Sanwo-Olu works with.

In response, the governor stated that the leadership of the 10th National Assembly should reflect the diversity of the country and referred to both chambers as the “people’s houses.”

Sanwo-Olu highlighted the fact that the race to fill the principal positions of the parliament typically involved fierce competition that would pit members against each other. Despite this, he stated that the objective of competing for the presiding seats should be to reflect the interests and aspirations of the people.

The governor, who stated that the cohesiveness of the nation was more important than the ambitions of the candidates for the speakership, urged Abass and his team to refrain from taking any member-elect for granted.

Sanwo-Olu made the following statement: “This race to elect leaders in the House of Representatives should reflect the true federal composition and political diversity of the country.” In this room today, I have witnessed members of various political parties and representatives from all over the country coming together to cooperate as a team in order to elect the Speaker. I strongly encourage you not to stop here; rather, you should continue to delve deeper into your involvement, and you should extend the hand of comradeship to each and every member.

“Despite the fact that you have the backing of the party, I have noticed that you are not resting on your laurels or leaving anything to chance. I applaud this. I strongly encourage you to make sure that your involvement is complete, open, and welcoming to everyone. There are additional candidates who are more than capable of carrying out the same engagement. They are familiar to us, and they are going to be brought into the room so that we can have a conversation with them. When the House is called to order, it is our hope that the position of the party will be taken into consideration and accepted in the Green Chamber.

Shettima meets aspirants

In the meantime, Shettima has indicated that he is willing to negotiate a cease-fire with the other candidates for the position of Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives by meeting with them.

On Friday, Shettima made the pledge during a meeting with the newly elected members of the Joint Task 10th Assembly that took place in his residence in Abuja.

This comes as a result of more than 60 members-elect signing on to support Abbas and Kalu as the consensus candidates for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker positions ahead of the inauguration of the 10th Assembly on June 5.

Shettima stated, “I met with Aliyu Betara two nights ago, and at the end of the day, there will be no winner and no vanquished. I have also met with Ahmed Wase, and we will continue the engagement.”

“Miriam Onuhoa is a friend of mine, and I will make an effort to reach out to her; my only request to the incoming leadership is that they be just and inclusive.”

Shettima stated that the leadership of the APC was attempting to ensure that there would be fairness in the distribution of the country’s four most powerful positions.

Alternate candidates proposed by the opposition

In the meantime, the 10th Assembly: Greater Majority, a coalition of members-elect from political parties that are in the minority in the House of Representatives, will reveal its candidates for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker later this week.

On Saturday, we were informed that several members of the opposition parties had expressed an interest in vying for leadership positions in the organization.

On Saturday, indications emerged that the members of the opposition might consider and adopt a candidate among the aspirants in the ruling APC’s race for the Speaker. This would be an alternative to the members of the opposition running their own candidate.

On May 2, 2023, the coalition made a public announcement stating that, in the end, it planned to try to select candidates from within its own ranks to run for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

As a result, the Greater Majority of the 10th Assembly had established a committee consisting of 11 members with the mission of quickly compiling a short list of candidates, vetting them, and making recommendations for the speakership and deputy speaker positions.

Nicholas Mutu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, serves as the committee’s chairman. Victor Ogene, a member of the Labour Party, serves as the committee’s secretary, and Abdulmumini Jibrin, a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party, serves as the committee’s Deputy Chairman.

Oluwole Oke, Jonathan Gbefwi, Beni Lar, Ali Isa, Alhassan Rurum, Mathew Kuzalio, Salisu Majigiri, Nnabuife Chinwe, Gwacham Maureen, and Idris Salman are some of the other people who have been named.

Ogene disclosed to one of our correspondents on Saturday that the deadline for the declaration of interest by members of the coalition was Saturday night, and that the aspirants would be revealed this week.

He stated that there were originally 11 people on the panel, but that number has since increased to 13 with the addition of a chairman and a secretary. In reality, we are 13 years old. Just a few moments ago (on Saturday), I posted a notice on our WhatsApp platform asking interested speakership and deputy speakership aspirants from our fold to submit themselves for screening. I informed them that they have until midnight to do so, and that after that, by Sunday, we should brief the house on what the position entails. Tonight is the night that we should be wrapping up our discussions with the prospective candidates.

The secretary, on the other hand, did not disclose either the number of candidates who had expressed interest in the positions or the identities of those candidates.

However, sources within the camp of the opposition hinted that the members-elect of the minority might choose to vote for one of the aggrieved aspirants in the APC.

Under the condition of anonymity, a member of the PDP who spoke to one of our correspondents said that cracks had been created in the coalition because some of its arrowheads might be working for the APC camp in the House.

There is a rift between the two of us. Before this coalition was formed, some of us already had candidates picked out to run for office under the banner of the APC. The lawmaker said that now that we are already seeing some of the coordinators with their preferred candidates, it is possible that we will return to where we are coming from.

Ogene confirmed that the coalition may choose one of the aspirants within the APC if the opposition was unable to produce popular candidates who would compete against the candidates of the ruling party.

“Nothing is set in stone,” as the saying goes. Even candidates for the office of president of the APC are attending meetings held by political parties other than their own. So, the issue is one of politics. They are having a conversation with both of us, and we are having a conversation with them. However, this is dependent on the person doing the talking. We have a leadership that is widely acknowledged. Don’t lose sight of the fact that one of the responsibilities of the committee is to interact with APC members who are running for the position of speaker. According to him, this is proceeding in tandem with the search for candidates to fill our own positions.

When Ogene was asked about the possibility that members of the opposition would eventually adopt APC aspirants, he responded by saying, “Why not? We will not go and bring in a Speaker from outside the members-elect if, at the end of the day, those who have indicated interest either withdraw their interests or do not even show up. We will sit down as a caucus as well, evaluate the manifestos and qualifications of each APC aspirant, and ultimately choose one candidate.

It was reported on Wednesday that the disappointed aspirants were banding together in opposition to the candidates that had been chosen by the party in power. Additionally, they have established a group that goes by the name G-7 with the intention of recruiting some of its members to run against Abbas and Kalu.

The leading candidates for the position of speaker, some of whom are already serving in leadership roles in the 9th House, voiced their opposition to the announcement of consensus candidates made by the APC without first consulting with the relevant stakeholders in the chamber.

Unrest also exists within the House as a result of the decision made by the APC to give two of the four presiding positions to the North-West while denying the North-Central region any representation in those roles.