The All Progressives Congress National Working Committee may have been outsmarted by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, in the emergence of Principal Officers of the 10th National Assembly.
National Chairman of the ruling party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu on Tuesday declared that the list of principal officers announced on the floor of both Chambers of National Assembly did not enjoy the blessings of the party’s national leadership.
Senator Adamu made the disclosure in his opening remarks at a meeting with the Progressives Governors Forum, ( PGF).The governors were led to the session by Imo state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
The Nigerian Tribune had reported in its Tuesday edition that the lawmakers were waiting for the zoning arrangement to be unveiled by the Adamu led NWC for election of principal officers.
Checks revealed that the APC NWC ratified the zoning formular for the positions of presiding officers of both chambers of National Assembly, prior to the elections that produced Senator Akpabio and Tajudeen Abbas as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.
Further checks revealed that meetings of the National Caucus and NEC of the party has been fixed for next Monday and Tuesday by the APC NWC where a decision would be taken on principal officers.
Senator Akpabio at plenary on Tuesday said the emergence of Senators Opeyemi Bamidele, Dave Umahi, Ali Ndume, and Lola Ashiru ,as Senate Leader, Deputy, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip, respectively was the outcome of a meeting of the APC Senate Caucus.
The APC Chairman who maintained that his leadership was kept in the dark by the duo of Senator Akpabio and Honourable Abbas said the development at the National Assembly has no precedence in the ruling party.
He told the governors :” You will get an update of the National Election in the national assembly sharing of powers particularly in the leadership of the chambers. The election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The election of the speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined and announced and their responsibilities.
“The remaining offices will be determined by the two chambers is yet to be done. I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his Deputy. The following day, which was Sunday, I received the visit by the Speaker and his Deputy Speaker coming to me for Sallah’s homage.
“But, I am just hearing as a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.
“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions. So whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.
“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus, and for quite a time, there has been no caucus in place. The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC. And we will be discussing that with you as governors, you know your states more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.
“We will hear your advice and then see how we can ensure that we comply with the provisions of the constitution of the party. “
Speaking with journalists shortly after the closed door session, Imo state governor and Chairman of the PGF, Senator Uzodimma, attributed the seeming face off between the national leadership of the party and the presiding officers of the National Assembly to a communication gap, which would be resolved.
He said:” Chairman never said that they are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they are members of our party, they are members of our party and they enjoy our support.
“If there is any way that there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make it up and we have our internal mechanism of resolving such things. The national Assembly leadership enjoys the support of Progressives governors forum and that of our party. We don’t have any problem at all.”
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