As opposition continues to mount against the decision of the All Progressives Congress to zone the leadership positions of the two chambers of the National Assembly to individual lawmakers, the anointed candidates have begun making moves to pacify their colleagues to accept the ruling party’s position.
Sunday PUNCH reliably gathered that Senator Godswill Akpabio, who was anointed by the 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.”
It was learnt that Akpabio had met with some of those opposed to him getting the position.
The former Akwa Ibom State governor, who is said to be aware of the plot against him, was also said to have promised that he would not forget his opponents while sharing committee positions in the next Senate.
It was also gathered that the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, met with Akpabio and discussed the need to carry his fellow senators along in the running of the Senate when he assumes office.
A source close to Akpabio, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues at stake, said, “You know that Akpabio is not new to power play. He was a minority leader at a time when a first timer was not allowed to be a principal officer in the Senate.
“He is a team player. He has learnt the rudiments and I can tell you that he has met with some of those openly campaigning against him. Part of the strategy is to give them good positions in the various committees.”
The source said the former governor would be in Lagos today (Sunday) for strategic meetings with relevant stakeholders.
In the House of Representatives, the APC-anointed candidate for the speakership, Tajudeen Abass, and the favoured candidate for the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, are subtly putting pressure on state governors elected on the platform of the party to prevail on fellow lawmakers to support them.
Abass and Kalu took their lobby to clinch the top positions in the Green Chamber to Lagos State on Saturday, where they met with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu alongside members of the Joint Task Team and appealed to him to sell their candidature to his fellow governors and help pacify other aggrieved aspirants, who have rejected their imposition by the ruling party.
In addressing the governor, Abass said the unity of the country and the House topped his agenda, noting that his team comprised members-elect along party lines.
The lawmaker said the recent general elections caused more divisions in the country, stressing that the President-elect, whom he described as unifying leader, required to have detribalised Nigerians to be at the helm of affairs in the legislature in order to heal the nation.
He said, “Our agenda is to make sure that the country is united to confront the current challenges. We undertake this task of leading the House to create a constructive relationship between the executive and the legislature that will be devoid of rancour.
“Where there will be differences, we will ensure that issues are resolved through dialogue. The stability of the House is sacrosanct. We will heal the wound, particularly from various contestants 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 hitch-free and vowed that he would not fail the party and his predecessors.
Kalu, on his part, said an Abass-led leadership of the House would project institutional trust in the 10th National Assembly, adding that the decision of the House would reflect the interests of all Nigerians.
Leader of the Joint Task Team, Bello Kumo, representing the Akko Federal Constituency of Gombe State, said the Abass-led leadership would not compromise the independence of the House.
He also urged Sanwo-Olu to speak to his fellow governors about the need to buy into the Abass agenda.
Responding, the governor said the leadership of the 10th National Assembly must reflect the diversity of the country, describing both chambers as “people’s houses.”
Sanwo-Olu pointed out that the race to fill the principal positions of the parliament usually involved fierce competition that would pit members against each other, but said the objective for vying for the presiding seats should reflect the interests and aspirations of the people.
The governor, who said the unity of the country was more important than the speakership aspirants’ ambitions, urged Abass and his team not to take any member-elect for granted.
Sanwo-Olu said, “This race to elect leaders in the House of Representatives should reflect the true federal composition and political diversity of the country. Here today, I have seen diverse political parties and representatives from all regions coming together to work as a team in electing the Speaker. I urge you not to stop at this; you should further deepen your engagement and extend the hand of comradeship to every member.
“I have observed that despite having the support of the party, you are not resting on your laurels and leaving anything to chance. I urge you to ensure that your engagement is total, transparent and inclusive. Other aspirants are eminently qualified to do the same engagement. They are known to us and they will be brought to the room for conversation. Our wish is to ensure that the position of the party is respected and adopted in the Green Chamber when the House convenes.”
Shettima meets aspirants
Meanwhile, Shettima has promised to meet other aspirants in the race for the 10th House of Representative Speaker in a bid to work out a truce.
Shettima made the promise when the Joint Task 10th Assembly members-elect met with him in his Abuja residence on Friday.
This is coming as over 60 members-elect signed for Abbas and Kalu as the consensus candidates for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker ahead of the June 5 inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
Shettima said, “I met Aliyu Betara two nights ago and at the end of the day, there will be no winner and no vanquished, and I have also met Ahmed Wase and we will continue the engagement.
“Miriam Onuhoa is my friend and I will reach out to her; my only request to the incoming leadership is to be just and inclusive.”
Shettima said what the leadership of the APC was trying to ensure was fairness in the distribution of the four top positions in the country.
Opposition’s alternate candidates
Meanwhile, the 10th Assembly: Greater Majority, a coalition of members-elect in minority political parties in the House of Representatives will this week unveil aspirants for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Sunday PUNCH learnt on Saturday that some members of the opposition parties had indicated interest in running for the leadership positions.
Indications also emerged on Saturday that in the alternative, the opposition members might consider and adopt a candidate among the aspirants in the ruling APC for the Speaker.
The coalition had on May 2, 2023, declared that it would, ultimately, seek to field candidates for the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker from among its ranks.
The 10th Assembly: Greater Majority had consequently set up an 11-man committee to short-list, screen and recommend aspirants for the speakership and deputy speaker positions within one week.
The committee comprises Nicholas Mutu (Peoples Democratic Party) as chairman; Victor Ogene (Labour Party), secretary; and Abdulmumini Jibrin (New Nigeria People’s Party), Deputy Chairman.
Others are Oluwole Oke, Jonathan Gbefwi, Beni Lar, Ali Isa, Alhassan Rurum, Mathew Kuzalio, Salisu Majigiri, Nnabuife Chinwe, Gwacham Maureen and Idris Salman.
Ogene told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the deadline for the declaration of interest by members of the coalition was Saturday night, while the aspirants would be unveiled this week.
He said, “It was actually an 11-man panel,but it is now 13-man with the chairman and the secretary. We are actually 13. Only a short while ago (on Saturday) I did a notice on our WhatsApp platform asking interested speakership and deputy speakership aspirants from our fold that they have up till midnight to submit themselves for screening, after which by Sunday we should brief the house on what the position is. We should be rounding off the interface with the aspiring candidates tonight.”
The secretary, however, declined to reveal the number of aspirants who had declared interests in the positions or their identities.
However, sources in the opposition camp hinted that the minority members-elect might opt for one of the aggrieved aspirants in the APC.
A member of the PDP, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, said cracks had been created in the coalition as some its arrowheads might be working for the APC camp in the House.
“There is a division among us. Initially, some of us had our choice candidates in the APC before this coalition was formed. Now that we are already seeing some of the coordinators with their choice candidates, we may return to where we are coming from,” the lawmaker said.
Ogene confirmed that the coalition might opt for one of the aspirants in the APC if the opposition could not produce popular candidates to run against the ruling party’s candidates.
“There is nothing cast in stone. Even the APC aspirants are also attending meetings outside their own political party. So, it is politics. They are discussing with us and we are discussing with them. But it depends on who is talking. We have a recognised leadership. Don’t forget that part of the mandate of the committee is to interface with speakership aspirants in the APC. So, that is going on pari passu with our search for our own candidates,” he stated.
When asked about the possibility of opposition members adopting APC aspirants eventually, Ogene said, “Why not? If at the end of the day, those who have indicated interest withdraw their interests or do not even show up, we will not go and import a Speaker from outside the members-elect. As a caucus too, we will sit down, analyse the manifestos and the suitability of each aspirant in the APC and finally adopt one person.”
The PUNCH had reported on Wednesday that the aggrieved aspirants were grouping against the adopted candidates of the ruling party. They have also formed a group known as G-7 with the aim of adopting some of them to contest against Abbas and Kalu.
The top contenders for the speaker’s seat, some of whom are in the current leadership of the 9th House, opposed the announcement of consensus candidates by the APC without due consultation with stakeholders in the chamber.
There is also unrest in the House over the decision by the APC to allocate two of the four presiding positions to the North-West and none to the North-Central.