PRESIDENT-ELECT, Asíwaju Bola Tinubu, has charged governors of his ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to work closely with the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee, NWC, and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.
Tinubu gave the charge, yesterday, in Abuja, when he met with the governors who paid him a courtesy visit.
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He said: “We thank God Almighty for our electoral victory. It was tough and turbulent. The challenge before us is working in unison with the party leadership and the National Assembly over the election of their principal officers. And I charge you to unite in spirit and faith and work in line with the party.”
Tinubu, according to a statement from the Office of the President-elect signed by Tunde Rahman, told the governors and former governorship candidates of the party that “whether you return or not, this is our government. Once we know what we are doing and communicating as elected leaders and loyal party men, we will conquer the challenge.”
He also reiterated his earlier admonition that, as leaders, they were elected to serve the people with fairness and justice, expressing gratitude to God that he, “the first Muslim minority from the South-West got the blessing of Allah to be elected president.”
Dismissing speculations about his health, the President-elect said “all speculations have been perished and their purveyors brought to shame.”
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, led his colleagues to Tinubu’s residence.
ROLL CALL
Among those in attendance were the Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).
There were also Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe and APC governorship candidate in Kano State, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
Governor Bagudu said the visit was to congratulate Tinubu on hiselection, extend goodwill to him over the end of Ramadan fast, welcome him back from his recent travels and celebrate with him.
He also said that the governors were ready for any assignment the President-elect may give them.
Electing NASS presiding officers
On the issue of electing presiding officers of the National Assembly, he pledged that the governors would continue to discuss and work with the party and the lawmakers to arrive at the best decision in the interest of the country.
Tinubu’s charge came amid indications that critical power brokers in APC are looking towards the South-South for the Senate President with a source pointedly saying that the position of Senate President has been zoned to the South, and that the President-elect and APC NWC had settled for South-South.
Among those eyeing the Senate Presidency from the South are former governor of Akwa Ibom State and former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio; former Edo State Governor and former APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; former Organising Secretary of the APC, Senator Osita Izunaso; former Abia State governor and Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; out-going Ebonyi State Governor, Engr Dave Umahi; and Boardroom guru and Accountancy czar, Chief Ede Dafinone among others
One of the sources said: “We don’t want to talk too much because the APC is considering the South-South for Senate President and North-West for Deputy. The party is looking for a Christian to be the Senate President and that is why it is looking at the South-South zone.”
Asked which zone will produce the Speaker, the source said: “When they sort out the Senate, naturally, that of the Speaker will follow. That is why the party doesn’t want to speak on which zone will produce the Speaker. They are being smart about it.
“By the time the Deputy Senate President goes to the North-West, you know what it means. It means the Speakership will automatically go to another zone. It means the South or North-West can’t get the Speakership.”
Ceding Senate Presidency
Another source, who is an ally of one of the aspirants, confirmed the ceding of the Senate Presidency to the South-South
“Our camp is also hearing that the Senate Presidency will be zoned to the South-South. You know politicians and the way they calculate. You may be gunning for a particular position but the party may end up rewarding you with another one. We have been informed that the North-West will eventually get the Deputy Senate President. As you are aware, most of the contenders are already trooping to see the President-elect. Those who are likely to emerge as Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker are already known. Every contender is playing his part and we are also playing our part.”
On whether a decision has been made on which zone will produce the next Speaker, the source said: “I don’t think a decision has been made on that.”
Aspirants oppose micro-zoning Senate presidency to S-South
Meanwhile, some aspirants are resisting a push by some forces in the APC to micro-zone the senate presidency to South-South and are lobbying Tinubu to zone the slot to the entire South.
Sources said the issue formed the details of what transpired at the Wednesday meeting of President-elect, APC leadership and some National Assembly members.
Another source claimed that Tinubu rejected proposals made by some members of the APC leadership and three South-West senators for the Senate Presidency to be micro-zoned to the South-South because zoning the senate presidency to the South will give all the qualified aspirants from-South East and South-South opportunity go into a fair contest for senators to make their choice, the same way APC delegates made their choice of a presidential candidate out of the lot.
Meanwhile, 61 registered Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, have called on the leadership of the APC to support aspirants from the South-East geo-political zone to emerge as Senate President for sake of equity, justice and cohesion.
Converging on Abuja, Thursday under the umbrella of Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Peace and Unity of Nigeria, CCSOPUN, the CSOs said that allowing the South-East zone to produce the next Senate President will address divisions and agitations in the area.
Chairman of the coalition, Dr. Onwubuya Abraham Breakforth in a statement said: “We are saddened and concerned with the way the South-East geo-political zone is being treated unfairly and unjustly in the political equation of our country.
“The outcome of the 2023 presidential election has further widened and deepened the disunity among Nigerians, especially with the belief that the outcome of the election was allegedly manipulated to favour the APC against the perceived winner from the South-East.
“Therefore, in order to heal the wounds, silence the agitations in the South-East and put the country in order, we hereby advocate that the APC, all the opposition political parties, newly elected and returning Senators and House of Representatives members-elect should strongly stand for South-East to produce the Senate President.
“The South-East has two APC governors against the South-South’s one governorship seat.”
Controversial zoning template
Some of those pushing for South-South senate presidency want both the Deputy Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker to be zoned to the North-West, despite fierce protests from other leaders who insist that the North-East be given the speakership slot.
Also, according to those pushing this zoning template, the Deputy Speaker slot is being proposed to be zoned to the South-West while the North-Central would be given the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.
Why North-Central should produce speaker —Aspirants, stakeholders
However, some aspirants and stakeholders have urged the APC hierarchy to adopt the principles of equity, fairness and justice in the zoning of the National Assembly offices.
The aspirants, who canvassed the zoning the speakership position to the North-Central zone, said in the annals of Nigeria’s legislature, out of the zones that have occupied the seat, the North-Central has had the shortest stint, three months. All the other zones have held it for several years, excluding the South-South.
Lawmakers from North Central in the speakership race are Tunji Raheem (Kwara), Idris Wase (Plateau) and Yusuf Gagdi (Plateau).
The only time the North-Central held it was in 1983, when the National Party of Nigeria, NPN administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari won a second term and late Hon. Akkai Chaha Biam from Benue was elected speaker. He served from October to December 31 of that year before the military struck and ended democratic rule.
In the First Republic, Chief Jaja Wachukwu from the East (today’s South-East) became the first indigenous speaker shortly before independence in 1959 and handed over to Ibrahim Jalo Waziri from a region that is now known as North-East in 1960.
Also, in 1979, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke of the National Party of Nigeria, NPP (South-East) held sway from 1979 to 1983.
In the botched Third Republic, the South-East via Agunwa Anaekwe from Anambra served as speaker between 1992 and 1993. The South East held the position thrice.
From 1999 to 2007, the position was zoned to the North-West with Salisu Buhari, Ghali Na’aba and Aminu Masari holding sway.
Between 2007 and 2011, the South-West had it with Dimeji Bankole and Patricia Etteh as speakers.
Between 2011 and 2015, Aminu Tambuwal from the North-West presided over the House.
Yakubu Dogara from the North-East presided over the House between 2015 and 2019. And since June 10 2029, Femi Gbajabiamila (South-West) has been serving as speaker.
Making a case for the North-Central, the aspirants and stakeholders said that the zone contributed hugely to the success and victory of the APC during the presidential and National Assembly polls where the APC won four out of the six states of gave Asiwaju Bola Tinubu 1, 670, 091 votes even more than what he got from the North-East (1, 190, 458). The party lost in the North-West states of Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto.
Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended state: ‘The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies shall be carried out in a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few ethnic or sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies, in order to command loyalty and peaceful coexistence.’
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