All is not well with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),
with the official endorsement of Senator
Godswill Akpabio for the position of Senate President and Hon. Abass Tajudeen
for the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The opposition of the party’s stance on Monday night by Senator
Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State and the current House of Reps Deputy Speaker,
Ahmed Idris Wase, and Majority Leader, Alhasan Doguwa, was based on the fact of
fairness, equity and justice.
Disclosing the outcome of Monday meeting in a statement issued
by the party’s spokesman, Felix Morka, “The National Working Committee of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) met today, Monday, May 8, 2023 to consider
reports of consultations and meetings held with the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other Party leaders and
stakeholders on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership
positions.
“The NWC called for
further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure
the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and
members of the Party nationwide.”
It said the zoning arrangement reported to the NWC is, “Senate
President – South South – Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom).
“Deputy Senate President
– North West – Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano).”
For the Speaker, the statement said, “Speaker, House of
Representatives – North West – Hon. Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna)
“Deputy Speaker – South East – Hon. Ben Kalu (Abia)
“We urge our party leaders, members and all Nigerians to
continue to work for peace and progress of our country during and beyond the
current period of leadership transition,” the party said.
Meanwhile the APC has 59 senators-elect in the 10th Assembly
while the opposition parties have 50.
A winner can only emerge
by scoring majority of the votes. The assembly would be inaugurated in June
after the inauguration of the new president.
Rejecting the party’s endorsement, Kalu, on Monday, demanded that
he should rather be endorsed based on
equity, justice and fairness to the South East region, and urged his co-senators-elect
to consider him for the position of senate president.
According to Kalu, he has written personally to 108 senators-elect
and APC members seeking their support to become the next Senate President.
Speaking in a statement issued by his media office, Kalu
attributed his seeming lack interest in the senate president contest to his
wife’s recent demise and the need to take time off to mourn her.
His letter to the party leaders reads: “It is with a deep sense
of joy and humility that I bring you warm greetings and that of Abia North
Senatorial zone.
“My emergence as the Senator to represent Abia North in this critical
time in the history of our dear nation comes with huge responsibilities, top of
which is to make quality laws for the good governance of our people.
“To be able to achieve
these enviable goals, we require good leaders who will pilot the affairs of the
10th Senate.
“Leadership of a
sophisticated Senate at the 10th Session will need men and women with abundance
of shared vision, consensus building, charisma, credibility, and pragmatism in
the saddle.
“This is why I most
humbly write to officially inform you of my interest to be elected the next
Senate President.
“I make this offer to
serve you and the Nigerian people with sincerity of heart, humility, and
candour. The biggest asset I bring to the table is wisdom and experience
garnered over the years in the management of human and material resources.
“I promise to work for you, promote and defend the constitution
and the party, and foster a congenial and cordial relationship between the
party, the executive and judiciary.
“One thing is indubitably certain: working together in unity and mutual love and respect, we can take Nigeria to real next level of peace, progress, and development.”
However, some of the aspirants for the leadership of the 10th National
Assembly have equally rejected the party’s consensus candidates for positions of the
Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
At a press conference on Monday night, the current House of Reps
Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, and Majority Leader, Alhasan Doguwa, rejected
the consensus arrangement announced by the party on Monday.
But speaking when they
attended the official declaration of one of the Speakership aspirants, Aliyu
Betara, Wase and Doguwa said they would not allow the 10th National Assembly to
be “hijacked” and made a “lame duck” by their party’s leadership.
The trio and one other lawmaker have now formed a new group of
members-elect known as the G-4, vowing to proceed with their separate bids for
Speaker position.
In his speech, Doguwa,
who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, said while
he doesn’t consider his ambition a “do or die” affair, members of the Green
Chamber must be allowed to elect their leaders without interference.
“My respected
colleagues, the leader of the 9th House of Representatives, I would like to
first of all put on record that I’m still an aspirant for the office of the
Speakership of the 10 House of Representatives, God willing.
“Distinguished ladies
and gentlemen, I’m also here on the personal invitation of my friend, a
colleague and a brother who is also running for the same office. I think I’m
under obligation to honor his invitation because of his humility. He’s one
person that we respect in the house, that we always address him as the shock
absorber.
“…my contest is not
about a do or die affair, wherever God gives to (the Speaker position), I will
be a progressive ally to work with him and I will expect (that) if God gives to
me, everyone will join me to work together.
“But one message that I have to put across is that the
Parliament, in this case the House of Representatives, or by extension the
National Assembly is one special institution that must always be allowed to
walk out its own business by itself.
Doguwa said, “the business of our leadership should be
solely our business and not any other person’s business. The way and manner
members that operate under a platform of first among equals, members that
operate on the platform of equal members representing equal constituencies,
constitutionally, must be respected as an institution.
“In a situation whereby you have some other people in whatever
guise or whatever name trying to define or determine how or where or when our
leadership or who should form part of leadership from outside without
consulting us, I think that should be seen as a mere failure.
“Inclusion in politics is very key and important, I remain very
available to my party for consultation and inclusion and only if that is done
then definitely everyone will answer his father’s name. My name is Honourable
Ado Doguwa and I’m still contesting for the Speakership of the House of
Representatives.”
Also, Wase, who is the current Deputy Speaker and
member representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau State, questioned how
the APC NWC arrived at its consensus candidates without consulting with elected
members of the party in the lower legislative chamber.
“We are here to ensure the independence of the Parliament, to
ensure that we work as a family. What we are witnessing today, we have never
seen that kind of moment and that is why every Parliamentarian must rise to the
occasion to defend that institution.
“We will not allow this Parliament to be disgraced, we will not
allow this Parliament to be hijacked (and) we will not allow this Parliament to
be made a lame duck.
“When you say you have a
consensus candidate, the language for consensus is very simple. It means then
that there has been maybe massive consultation, people were brought to table
for discussion and that’s an agreement. In this case, we just saw and we’re
hearing speculations that some people have been made consensus candidates. I
don’t know whether that is the meaning of consensus.
“I’m a democrat, I came
to the Parliament in 2007 and by the grace of God I’m into my 5th time (in the
House) and I give glory to God.
“This place is very
sacred, it is honourable and that’s why we’re called honourable members.
“We must be honourable
in our dealings, our actions and activities, in defence of the Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We know that it is only
one person that will eventually emerge but the best out of us must emerge…we
will defeat those forces that think Nigeria is in their pockets,” he said.
Among those present at the press
conference was the Princess Miriam Onuoha of Okigwe North Federal Constituency
of Imo State who is also contesting for the Speaker position.
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