New findings indicate that the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership and President-elect, Bola Tinubu are contemplating a review of the zoning arrangements for the 10th National Assembly leadership.
This follows a meeting Tinubu had with several aspirants after he returned from France.
Aspirants, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Sani Musa, among others, had separate meetings with Tinubu.
Sources that spoke with This Day noted that Wase, who is contesting the position of the speaker of the House of Representatives, was the first to meet with Tinubu and left abruptly after their discussion.
According to inside sources, the tension between Tinubu and Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, over Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s Paris visit might have revealed ulterior motives behind the advice some northern governors gave to the president-elect.
The advice, particularly regarding National Assembly leadership positions, was described by a source as “selfish and not the true reflection of the views of the majority.”
Currently, the North-West has two presiding officers’ positions while both the South-south and South-East got one each, leaving the North Central geopolitical zone completely out.
This has reportedly caused confusion within the party. However, another source confirmed plans to revisit the zoning arrangements after revelations from a meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso in France.
Audio Leak Provokes Tension
After a leaked phone conversation involving Ganduje and Ibrahim Masari, ex-vice presidential placeholder candidate of the APC, Tinubu was said to have decided to base the zoning arrangements on the performances of each geopolitical zone in the last election.
Ganduje’s remarks in the leaked conversation, stating that he should have been present at the meeting between Tinubu and Kwankwaso, did not sit well with Tinubu.
According to another source, Tinubu emphasized that the North Central should not be left out in the zoning arrangements.
He was quoted saying, “The decision to zone the offices will be looked into so as to bring a balance. The speakership will likely be in the North West as it is a substantive no 4 office higher than the Deputy Senate President in the hierarchy.”
Sources suggest that Tinubu, in recognition of the votes he received from the North Central during the presidential election, is considering compensating the region with a presiding officer position.
