AHEAD of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the zoning template for the 10th National Assembly Presiding offices by the National Working Committee, NWC of the All Progressives Congress, APC still appears to be causing crisis and creating problems for the ruling party as Senators and members of the House of Representatives have continued to reject it and have continually appealed to the party to correct the anomaly.
Against this backdrop, strong indications have emerged that if the problem was not finally resolved by the party before the 13th June Inauguration day, there would be the nomination of three persons for the position of the President of the Senate as Senators- elect, Godswill Akpabio, APC, Akwa Ibom North West; Orji Uzor Kalu, APC, Abia North and Abdulaziz Yari, APC, Zamfara West.
Incidentally, the three aspirants for the number three position have one thing in common as former Governors.
While Akpabio is former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Kalu was Governor of Abia State and Yari, former Governor of Zamfars State.
Vanguard gathered that after the nomination on that day, Yari may step down for Orji Uzor Kalu for the position of Senate President, to leave the race for Akpabio from the South South and Kalu from the South East.
Then there will be nomination for the position of the Deputy Senate President where the present Chairman, Senate Services, Senator Sani Musa, Niger East would be nominated by Senators from the North Central, Senator Jibrin Barau, Kano North would also be nominated for the position, just as Yari who would have stepped down earlier for Kalu would also be nominated for the position.
The Senators- elect are settling for open nomination in order surprise everyone that they will need their own leader, using the open secret ballot process.
In the Upper Chamber, the President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President positions are the Presiding officers that would warrant all the Senators to vote and elect them while the principal officers are the prerogative of the parties to produce them. The positions are the Majority leader, the Deputy Majority Leader; the Chief Whip and the Deputy Whip from the ruling party while the opposition would produce the Minority Leader; Deputy Minority Leader; Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
The source said, ” Kalu is still in the race, when the time comes, some Senators from the North will back him, he is seen as one of us, he started his early life with us in the north, we trust him.
“The party is behind him, a lot of progress has been made and we have been asked to keep our lips sealed. There is already a deal on ground between Kalu and Yari.”
Yari and members-elect from the North are still pushing for a different agenda, especially the position of Senate President inspite of the announcement of the zoning template of leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly by the ruling.
Vanguard gathered that Governor of Sokoto State and Senator- elect, Aminu Tambuwal, PDP, Sokoto South; Senator- elect- Aliyu Wamakko, Sokoto North; former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly, House of Representatives Matters, Senator- elect, Sumaila Kawu, NNPP, Kano South; Senator’ elect, Sahabi Yau, APC, Zamfara North; a ranking Senator and former Governor of Gombe State; another Senator-elect from Zamfara; a Senator- elect from Katsina State, among others are pushing for Yari as the next President of the Senate.
Despite the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, to Akpabio, these former governors from the North, members of the National Assembly from the ruling party and the opposition have continued to carry out secret campaign for Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara State. Yari is also a Muslim.
A source told Vanguard that ” we the supporters of Yari have decided to go underground and continue with the campaign to avoid being harassed by the party and the government. We are in APC, LP, NNPP and others.”
Recall that Kawu while speaking on Trust Television this week, had said that 73 Senators- elect were already backing Yari’ aspiration.
Recall that the Senator Abdullahi Adamu led National Working Committee, NWC of the APC had three weeks ago given direction to where the leadership of the 10th National Assembly will come from as it zoned the Presidency of the Senate to South – South and microzoned it to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom and Deputy Senate President to North West in person of Jibrin Barau, Kano North.
Similarly, in the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass from North West was endorsed by the APC leadership as the preferred candidate for the position of the Speaker. Benjamin Kalu from South East emerged as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
