With the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly just 48 hours away, key contenders are ramping up their campaigns against the All Progressives Congress (APC) preferred candidates.
This is despite President Bola Tinubu‘s appeal to APC contenders to support the party’s chosen candidates.
The Senate remains divided, with the Democratic and Stability groups each pushing for one of their own to be the chairman of the National Assembly.
In the House of Representatives, the dissenting G-6 aspirants are preparing to announce their consensus candidate, in defiance of the APC’s chosen nominee.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC had previously endorsed former Niger Delta minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for the Senate president position, and Hon Tajudeen Abbas for the Speaker position in the House of Representatives.
But these endorsements have met with resistance from the likes of former governors and senators, as well as the G-6 aspirants in the House.
The party’s zoning arrangement, which sees two presiding officers from the same geopolitical zone, has been a major point of contention.
Despite these concerns, President Tinubu has stood by his choices of Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin for the Senate, and Abbas and Kalu for the House of Representatives.
As the inauguration draws near, some suggest that the venue might be changed at the last minute to create confusion.
A source that spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The reason they have perfected giving to the public is that the NASS complex is under renovation and that it will be dangerous to allow a huge crowd in there. We are already aware too that the likely venues being proposed secretly are the State House Banquet or the International Conference Centre.
“We are aware of all these, including the fact that Yari, Kalu, Betara and Wase have been placed on surveillance for over three weeks by the DSS and even the EFCC. Anything can happen, including that, they’d be denied access to wherever the power cabals finally agree to use as an alternative venue.”
This move is seen as an attempt to undermine the opposition, and some key players have been allegedly placed under surveillance by the DSS and EFCC.
According to a source that spoke with Leadership, the G-6 group will meet in Abuja to choose one of their members to compete for the Speaker position.
The source said, “They have made up their minds. Even if any of them decides to back the anointed candidate, others will still feature some who will challenge that decision on the floor. The outcome of the meeting will be made public and a consensus candidate from G-6 will be unveiled.”
Regardless of who they select, it is expected that there will be some who will challenge the decision on the floor.
Members of the G-6 are yet to formally announce their decisions about the speakership race, with one prominent member suggesting on Twitter that an official statement will be made soon after consultations with other aspirants and national leaders.
