Fresh reports have emerged that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, might meet with aggrieved aspirants running for leadership positions of the 10th National Assembly that are not happy with the zoning arrangement of the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the weekend when he returns back into the country.
OsunDaily News understands that a party source revealed to the Nigerian Tribune that all things being equal, the peace initiative at the instance of Tinubu should hold this weekend when he returns.
It was gathered that the meeting with Tinubu and the aspirants would also involve members of the party’s National Working Committee ( NWC).
The source disclosed that the consensus candidate of the party for the position of the deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu might be replaced with one of the aggrieved aspirants from the G-6 group.
It would be recalled that a coalition of aggrieved aspirants for the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives, under the platform of G-7, which is now G-6, met with the APC National Working Committee (APC) last week to express their disaffection over the choice of Tajudeen Abbas representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State (North-West) and Benjamin Kalu, Bende federal constituency of Abia State (South-East), as anointed candidates for speaker and deputy speaker.
Three of the contenders for the Senate president of the 10th National Assembly also presented a joint petition to the APC NWC.
Those who met with the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and other national officers were Senators AbdulAziz Yari (North-West); Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu (South-East) and the senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa (North-Central).
According to the source speculations from the camp of the aggrieved aspirants, however, revealed that they are adamant on an open election or an arrangement that will drop Tajudeen Abbas for the office of speaker.
The party source noted that the president-elect is looking at a review of the template that would accommodate the North Central zone, especially with consideration in the party’s choice of presiding officers for the House of Representatives.
The source said “It will be difficult to ask Senator Barau Jibrin to step down to accomodate the North Central. The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, has the capacity to undermine Akpabio if traded off.”
