Afrigather • Ruling social gathering divided as zones scramble for Senate president, Reps speakership, others
• South East nonetheless favorite for quantity 3 workplace
By Wilfred Eya
There had been robust indications, yesterday, that the tussle for the management of each chambers of the Nationwide Meeting has unsettled the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was learnt that the ruling social gathering has been divided by varied curiosity teams lobbying for principal officers within the Senate and Home of Representatives.
A extremely positioned member of the ruling social gathering instructed Each day Solar that other than the South West, there was intense horse buying and selling by no means seen within the final eight years inside the social gathering from candidates and supporters from the opposite 5 geo-political zones for the plum jobs within the Nationwide Meeting.
It was learnt that the social gathering is break up amongst three foyer teams: the primary, insisting on zoning key positions to mirror regional and non secular stability, the second demanding that advantage determines who leads each chambers of the Nationwide Meeting, and the third insisting that solely lawmakers with file of robust dedication to the progress and growth of the social gathering be thought of.
Within the Senate, the social gathering is torn in its help for the aspiration of Chief Whip and former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu; former minority chief and Akwa Ibom governor, Godswill Akpabio; Ebonyi Governor, Dave Umahi who’s a primary time senator, and Osita Izunaso who’s staging a return to the senate. It was learnt that these candidates are campaigning on the necessity to cede the place to the South East or South South for regional and non secular stability. The candidates from the South East declare that being the third tripod that the nation sits, permitting them occupy the Senate presidency would guarantee stability of energy amongst main political blocs within the nation.
These on this camp mentioned in contrast to in 2015 when the geopolitical zone didn’t produce any APC senator, within the 2023 Presidential and Nationwide Meeting elections, the South East produced six senators-elect on the platform of the ruling APC. In addition they canvass the necessity for a Christian Senate president because the president and vice chairman, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shetima are Muslims. However there are additionally candidates from the north like senators Jibrin Barau, Sani Musa, Abdulaziz Yari and Ahmad Lawan, incumbent senate president and Ali Ndume who’re additionally within the race lobbying on the energy of their expertise and character. It was learnt that candidates from the North Central had been angling for the management primarily based on the declare that the zone had solely held the quick finish of the stick since 1999 when democracy was reintroduced within the nation.
Additionally, some chieftains of the social gathering, in an announcement yesterday in Abuja by the Coordinator and Secretary of APC Integrity Group, Malam Dawu Mohammed and Chisom Nwakanma, requested the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) and different stakeholders of the social gathering to prioritise advantage within the alternative of the10th Nationwide Meeting’s principal officers. They mentioned selecting the senator representing Niger East, Mohammed Sani Musa, as deputy senate president and different senators with impeccable character to fill different places of work would give the required stimulus for the chief to supply Nigerians with high quality management.
“Whereas the South West has produced the President-elect, the North East produced the Vice President-elect whereas President Buhari who’s counting days to the tip of his tenure is from North West and the incumbent Senate president hails from North East. Yemi Osinbajo, vice chairman, hails from Tinubu’s South West. The South South at the moment occupies the place of the Deputy Senate president whereas North Central holds the place of the Deputy Speaker of the Home of Representatives,” the mentioned.
Within the Home of Reps, notable aspirants for the speakership place embrace Benjamin Kalu, Tajudeen Abbas, Aliyu Betaba, Yusuf Soli, Sani Jaji and Ahmed Wase.
“It has been a really busy interval for the APC, the strain from candidates and foyer teams has been intense, significantly within the final three weeks for principal officers of each senate and nationwide meeting. This has led to divisions inside the management of the social gathering, chieftains, essential stockholders and supporters of the incoming president. However dialogue and negotiations are held on a regular basis and we hope that within the subsequent few days issues can be sorted out,” the supply mentioned.
