More revelation from the meeting between the President-elect, Bola Tinubu with the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and principal members of the ninth National Assembly has emerged.
OsunDaily News gathered that sources present at the closed-door meeting at the Defence House last Friday revealed that the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Barau Jibrin, and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, were favourites for the positions of Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
A source at the meeting told The PUNCH that while the President-elect and key APC stakeholders had adopted a former Minority Leader of the Senate, Godwill Akpabio, as President of the Senate in the 10th National Assembly, the APC leadership also endorsed a member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, as Speaker.
Also, another source in the National Assembly noted that “President-elect, APC endorse North-West – Speaker; South-South – Senate President…settle for Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Rt. Hon. TJ Abass, Ph.D., as Senate President, Speaker.
“Zoning for Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker; North-West – Deputy Senate President; South-East – Deputy Speaker; a decision taken at the meeting held at the Defence House today” (sic).
Another source who is a member of the pro-Tinubu camp in the House, who pleaded anonymity, described how the South-East almost missed a slot in the leadership of the 10th Assembly.
He told The Punch that “Let me give you additional information. Benjamin Kalu is the Deputy (Speaker) and Barau is the Deputy Senate President.
“I can tell you for free that efforts are being made to get Wase to come on board (and accept Abbas’ candidacy). He may end up with a ministerial appointment.”
Speaking about Aliyu Betara, the source said, “The issue is how to convince him, but if he does not concede, everybody will be on the alert. If he goes into the contest, there may be a repeat of what happened between (Femi) Gbajabiamila and (Umar) Bago.”
It would be recalled that the APC presented Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the office of the Speaker four years ago, but Bago, who is now the governor-elect of Niger State, insisted on contesting against the party’s choice but lost.
