The reasons why the meeting between President Bola Tinubu and opposition lawmakers-elect scheduled for Monday was postponed has emerged.
OsunDaily News recalls that Tinubu was to meet the opposition lawmakers yesterday at 3 pm at the State House, but it was later postponed.
The opposition lawmakers-elect were invited by the President last Friday for a meeting which was supposed to have been held yesterday.
In an invitation letter dated Friday, June 2, 2023, and signed by the Permanent Secretary in the State House, Tijjani Umar, Tinubu was to meet the Senators-elect at 3:00 pm and then the House of Representatives-elect at 5:00 pm.
The letter said “I write to inform you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will hold a meeting with members of the opposition Senators-elect and opposition House of Representatives members-elect in the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, 5th June 2023 at 15:00 hours and 1700 hours respectively.
“In this regard, you are kindly requested to inform all concerned members to attend and forward their list early enough for security clearance. Please, accept the assurances of the President’s highest consideration.”
According to Leadership, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is stuck about what to do concerning the resistance of Senators Abdulaziz Yari, Orji Kalu and Osita Isunazo, who have refused to shift ground even though the party’s zoning arrangement did not favour them.
A source disclosed that the meeting was shifted because the APC aspirants contesting for positions in the incoming 10th National Assembly have not withdrawn from the race to pave the way for the party’s anointed candidates.
“There is no way a resolution would come out of any meeting with the lawmakers-elect who are divided among themselves. Until the APC aspirants agree to respect the zoning arrangement of the party, there cannot be any consensus ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly,” the source noted.
Recall that the leadership of the APC had endorsed Godswill Akpabio as Senate President and Senator Barau Jubrin as his deputy, while Hon Tajudeen Abbass was anointed as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, with Hon Benjamin Kalu as his deputy.
