As the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly looms next month, there are suggestions that two governors and a sitting principal officer might have manipulated the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s leadership choices in the Senate and the House of Representatives to favour their preferred candidates.
On May 8, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, announced the proposed leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to Morka, the positions of Senate President and Deputy, and Speaker and Deputy have been assigned to Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Barau Jibrin, Tajudeen Abbas, and Benjamin Kalu, respectively.
However, inside sources in Abuja that spoke with Saturday Sun claimed that the governors influenced the selection process to reward their chosen candidates for their contributions during the presidential election.
The principal officer, who is unlikely to return to the chamber, is also believed to have ensured his preferred candidates were nominated.
According to the source that spoke with the platform, he said, while there were calls to consider a candidate from the South East, the principal officer insisted that the candidate should come from a specific state and member.
He has been accused of showing favouritism in promoting his chosen candidate’s qualifications and derailing the chances of Senator Orji Kalu to vie for a leadership role in the 10th Senate.
Meanwhile, a group of speaker aspirants in the House of Representatives, known as the G7, has threatened to take action on Inauguration Day if the APC does not reconsider the zoning of leadership positions.
They warned that if the party does not address their concerns, it could lead to a repeat of the ‘Dogara and Tambuwal’ scenario.
In response to the pushback, a party insider revealed that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) met this week to reassess the disputed zoning formula.
The source said, “All I know is that the NWC has met on the protests from those aspiring to leadership positions in the Senate and the House of Reps. They met this week and have reviewed the zoning list they released earlier.”
The new report will be reviewed by party leaders and presented to the President-elect upon his return.
Only after the report is approved will the new zoning arrangement be released to the aspirants and the public.
