Reports from the camp of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealed that lobbying for principal positions in the incoming 10th National Assembly for both chambers has gotten tougher and more intense.
OsunDaily News understands that the current tussle for the leadership of the 10th NASS has divided the ruling party as various lobbying interest groups lobbying for principal officers in the Senate and House of Representatives have erupted.
It was gathered that a highly placed member of the ruling party told Daily Sun that apart from the South West, there is intense trading like never seen before in the last eight years in both chambers.
According to the source, candidates and supporters from the other five geo-political zones in different lobbying groups have doubled efforts in vying for the key positions of the incoming 10th national assembly.
This platform understands that for both chambers, three lobby groups have come up with each making a strong case for their position.
It was learnt that while the first lobby group are of the opinion that merit should determine who leads both chambers of the national assembly, the second insists on zoning key positions to reflect regional and religious balance and the third says only lawmakers with a record of a strong commitment to the progress and development of the party should be considered for leadership positions.
However, it was gathered that a group in the senate are campaigning on the need to push the position to the South East or South South for regional and religious balance.
While there is a divided house on the support of the Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu; former minority leader, Godswill Akpabio; Ebonyi Governor, Dave Umahi who is a first-time senator, and Osita Izunaso who is staging a return to the Senate, some candidates from the South East claim that being the third tripod that the nation sits, allowing them to occupy the Senate presidency would ensure a balance of power among major political blocs in the country.
This camp is of the view that unlike in 2015 when the South East zone didn’t produce any APC senators, there are six APC senators elected this time around.
They also advocated for a Christian senate president buttressing their position with the fact that the president and vice president, Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shetima are Muslims.
But in this camp, there are still candidates from the north like the incumbent senate president, Ahmad Lawan, and senators Jibrin Barau, Sani Musa, Abdulaziz Yari and Ali Ndume who are lobbying based on character.
In the House of Reps, notable aspirants for the speakership position include Benjamin Kalu, Tajudeen Abbas, Aliyu Betaba, Yusuf Soli, Sani Jaji and Ahmed Wase.
The party source told Daily Sun, “It has been a very busy period for the APC, the pressure from candidates and lobby groups has been intense, particularly in the last three weeks for principal officers of both the senate and national assembly. This has led to divisions within the leadership of the party, chieftains, critical stockholders and supporters of the incoming president. But dialogue and negotiations are held every day and we hope that in the next few days, things will be sorted out.”
