There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party is scheming to
assume control of the National Assembly following the failure of the All
Progressives Congress leaders to agree on zoning of offices.
PUNCH reported that on Friday the PDP caucuses in the
two chambers of the National Assembly were plotting to benefit from the
squabbles in the APC by teaming up with aggrieved elements in the
latter.
The aim of such an alliance,
investigations showed, would be the emergence of a speaker and a senate
president different from candidates approved by the APC.
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It
was learnt that the PDP hoped that by ensuring its choices emerged as
the speaker and the senate president, it would “snatch” the control of
the eighth National Assembly from the APC.
A member of the PDP caucus in the House,
who pleaded anonymity, said, “Although we are not disputing the fact
that the APC should produce leaders of the National Assembly, we will
ensure that those who will emerge are people we prefer, not the choices
of the APC leaders.
“By doing that, we will snatch the
control of the National Assembly from them, just as the APC controlled
the House through Aminu Tambuwal.”
The APC leaders had on Thursday failed to reach a decision on zoning of political offices at their meeting in Abuja.
There were reports that the APC’s
National Working Committee had recommended some zoning arrangements to
its National Executive Committee.
According to the reports, the position of
the senate president seat was zoned to the North-Central and the Deputy
Senate President to the North-East.
There were two accounts on the zoning of
speakership. While one stated that the post of speakership was zoned to
the South-West, the other indicated that it was meant for the
North-East.
The deputy speakership was said to have been zoned to the South-South
But the APC, in a statement early in the
week, denied the reports. Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, urged Nigerians to disregard the reports and described them as
products of hyperactive rumour mills.
In spite of the APC’s statement, it was gathered that zoning topped the agenda of the APC leaders’ meeting on Thursday.
The PUNCH had reported that no
decision was reached at the meeting because the leaders felt that more
consultations were needed on the issue.
It was learnt that some of the PDP
members in the incoming eighth Senate, who would occupy 48 of the 109
seats, had already begun talks with their APC counterparts from the
North-East.
The talks, it was gathered, followed the failure of the APC leaders to take a decision on zoning.
The APC senators that have been mentioned
as having interest in the senate presidency include Bukola Saraki
(Kwara Central); George Akume (Benue North) and Ahmad Lawan (Yobe
North).
Based on the recent general elections,
the APC will have 60 members in the eighth Senate while the PDP will
have 48. Election into the Delta Central Senatorial District is still
outstanding.
Senate presidency candidates reach out to senators-elect
Investigations revealed that the camps of
Saraki, Akume and Lawan had commenced aggressive lobbying and strategic
calculations to outsmart one another in order to occupy the seat.
For instance, while the Saraki camp is
currently seeking the support of the new PDP, which he led alongside
Governor Rotimi Amaechi and others, to defect to the APC, Akume is
relying on the goodwill he is enjoying from the leadership of the APC,
particularly, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The Lawan camp, on the other hand,
believed that the North-East had been short-changed in the political
office sharing since 1999.
The camp has the backing of the APC senate caucus in the zone.
It was learnt that the North-East sees
the current development as an opportunity to demand for its own share of
political offices.
