Tension rises in NASS leadership contest as Yari, Kalu, G-6 decline Tinubu’s invitation to step down

Tensions have been ratcheted up across the political landscape as a result of the refusal of invitations by several candidates vying for various leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly to meet with individuals claiming to represent President-elect Bola Tinubu.

It was reported that a source close to one of the candidates for the presidency of the Senate revealed that the candidates had received a request for a meeting on Saturday evening at a prestigious hotel in Abuja. This information was contained in a report.

Abdulaziz Yari and Orji Uzor Kalu are currently in the lead for the race to become president of the Senate. Meanwhile, the G-6 Aspirants Forum is currently in the lead for the race to become speaker of the Senate. This forum is comprised of Idris Wase, Aliyu Betara, Sani Jaji, Sada Soli, Ahmed Gagdi, and Mariam Onuoha.

After having a discussion among themselves, the aspirants came to the conclusion that they should not attend the meeting that was scheduled to take place on Sunday (yesterday) at 8 o’clock in the evening.

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They cited the unpredictable nature of politics as the reason for their preference to engage in one-on-one conversation with the incoming president in order to facilitate more meaningful conversations.

The source reportedly stated that “anything can happen in politics.” It is impossible to anticipate everything that might happen, so after discussing the matter among themselves, they all decided not to attend and insisted that they would prefer to meet the president-elect individually for “meaningful engagement.”

In the meantime, it has come to the attention of this newspaper that Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila is getting ready to make a presentation to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in which he will present endorsements from newly elected lawmakers in favor of Tajudeen Abbas for the position of speaker.
In spite of his initial denials, Gbajabiamila has since confirmed that he will vote for Abbas and Benjamin Kalu to hold the positions of speaker and deputy speaker in the 10th House of Representatives.

The following message was conveyed to the individuals who make up the Unity Group: “Good morning, honorable members. Please, you are cordially invited to accompany Tajudeen Abass to a meeting with the national chairman and members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at the party secretariat. The meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m. and will last until 5:00 p.m.. Time 2.00 pm. Please have all members assemble at the Stratton Hotel no later than noon. Thank you and may God bless you.

According to a report from Vanguard, a returning lawmaker from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) expressed confidence in Abbas’s ability to gather sufficient support and confirmed that the speaker would lead Abbas and a group of lawmakers to the APC national headquarters on Tuesday.

Concerns were voiced, however, regarding the lack of comprehension displayed by other disgruntled APC aspirants.

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According to the source, “It is true that we are meeting the National Working Committee of the APC on Tuesday.” It should be noted that not all of us are affiliated with their party, but despite that, we support the candidate that the outgoing speaker has proposed. Our team’s meeting with the APC’s national leadership would be under his direction as our leader. As of right now, we are confident that we will be able to form a majority vote in order to elect Abbas as speaker. The only thing we ask of the other APC candidates is that they show some level of understanding, because the party stands to lose if they don’t work together.