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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Working Committee (NWC), last week, stirred the hornet’s nest with an unpardonable undemocratic error, in micro-zoning the 10th National Assembly positions to individual contestants.
A sizeable number of the NWC members rose from a marathon meeting Monday last week, anointing former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, South South, as the Senate President, Senator Barau Jubrin, Kano, North West Deputy Senate President, Hon. Abass Tajudeen, Kaduna, North West, Speaker House of Representatives and Hon Benjamin Kalu from Abia State as Deputy Speaker of the lower chambers.
While many pundits faulted the decision to zone two key principal officers position of Deputy Senate President and Speaker to the same North West, others have equally rightly assumed that the choice of Ben Kalu as Deputy Speaker was a calculated move to scheme out the current Senate Chief, Dr. Orji Uzor-Kalu from contesting the position of Senate President with the excuse that Abia State cannot produce two legislative principal officers.
And defending NWC’s endorsements of the zoning, National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, explained that the decision was influenced essentially by the directive of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other party leaders, and stakeholders on zoning conventions for the 10th Assembly leadership positions.
“APC NWC met to consider reports of consultations and meetings held with the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, other party leaders, and stakeholders on zoning arrangements for 10th Assembly leadership positions.
“The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the Assembly leadership positions and members of the party nationwide,” Morka claimed, refusing to be interrogated by the curious newsmen present during the press conference.
Obviously, the actions and decisions of the party’s leadership have expectedly continued to generate mixed reactions and ultimately ripple effects among party faithful, elected legislators, aspirants for the positions, and Nigerians.
Ever since then, various stakeholders and political watchers have continued to question the rationale behind the party leadership’s resolution to micro-zone the positions to certain individuals instead of zones.
Interestingly, on a daily basis since the announcement, discontentment, threats of sabotage, and acrimony have palpably enveloped party members, the incoming executive, and the legislature.
What is daily unfolding, especially the skewed consultation by the party’s leadership and the camp of the President-elect were the spinoffs of the horse-trading and crack in the leadership of the party.
The bubble, expectedly, has busted, and the decision, apart from caving in and crumbling like a pack of cards, did not also withstand any test. Protesters, majorly from the North Central geopolitical zone and the aggrieved aspirants have turned the party’s national secretariat into a battleground.
It is either one group or the other protesting, or the aggrieved legislative leadership aspirants were confronting and declaring total war against the NWC, the President-elect, and any other stakeholder culpable in any way, in taking the highly obnoxious and vexatious decision.
The protesters and the visibly aggrieved Senate President and Speakership aspirants had petitioned, confronted, and queried the party’s leadership, during last week’s meeting, on the rationale behind shutting them out from the various consultations the leadership claimed they had before announcing the beneficiaries of the zoning arrangement.
From the response of the party’s leadership, it became obvious that certain forces beyond their administrative control must have propelled them to take and announce the decision without adequate consultations.
Appealing to relevant stakeholders, in the statement, the NWC pleaded; “We urge our party leaders, members, and all Nigerians to continue to work for peace and progress of our country during and beyond the current period of leadership transition.”
However, signals that the appeal fell on deaf ears started emerging when the aspiring legislators that came with fury and vengeance, took turns to protest at the party’s secretariat and submit their petitions, threatening fire and brimstone should the endorsement be allowed to stand.
They, individually and collectively, reminded the party’s leadership of the dire consequences of continuing with the decision to micro-zone the positions to individuals will have on the party and the incoming APC-led Federal Government.
From former governors of Abia, and Zamfara states, Dr Orji Uzor-Kalu and Abdulaziz Yari among other aggrieved senators, to the heavyweight ranking aspirants for Speakership of the House of Representatives, their strong positions came in an unmistaken and, uncompromising term that the right things should be done.
The apparently aggrieved protesting lawmakers did not hide their feelings and bitterness in clearly informing the party’s leadership that the decision on micro-zoning is dead on arrival. They also reiterated the grave consequences of several elected APC legislators disobeying the party on the floor of both chambers which will result in the party losing out.
In their presentations, they declared that they were not only angered by shutting them out from the consultations and the decision to micro-zone the positions to individuals but that they also gave two out of the four positions to the North-West geopolitical zone, completely shutting out North Central from the political equation and an inconsequential position of Deputy Speaker to the South East.
For the former governor of Zamfara State, Yari, nothing could have been more demeaning to the northern part of Nigeria that gave a greater percentage of the votes that produced the President-elect than shutting them out and denying them the position of Senate President.
“We are here to present our letter of grievance to you and to say that we are not satisfied with the zoning arrangement. What we are expecting from you people is to give us fair play, at least if for nothing, to mention that a particular item is zoned and anybody in that particular zone can participate. Or if you want to do justice and fairness as a party, look at where you have opportunities and where you have your own people.
“We have been in this game and we understand it very well. It is about dialogue. We are saying that party supremacy, looking at the election we won in 2023, the next election is 2027 and it will depend on how we play the part. We know each and every success came from God. We, from this axis, strongly believe that we have done our best despite the challenges. Everyone has done his best but we are number one.
“The President-elect got 63.4 per cent of votes of the northern extraction. In the south, where he came from, he got 36.6 per cent. Atiku Abubakar from Northern Nigeria got 68.8 per cent of the total vote and 33.2 per cent from Southern Nigeria. If there is anyone who can say we own APC; we own the President-elect, it is Northern Nigeria. Without undermining any part of the country, they have given their best and we can understand their situation but justice needs to be done.
“We should not be blinded that the power of anyone is not absolute but only God. We should not look at these four years as 20 years and then we are going into another election. We are going back to the next election, we should underline that we are elected and we are going to be looking for another election.
“Whatever decision you are going to take, we are expecting you as a friend who works with the President-elect to tell him not to go there. We don’t need rocket science to explain why. You can defend that what you are trying to do is for the betterment of the APC, and for the betterment of the president.
“Mr. Chairman, we are not undermining what you are doing, but we are doing this for the sake of this party, we want it to grow and we are doing it for the best interest of the party. What we are saying today is that if we from the North take another decision, it will not be good to all of us and it will become history which we don’t want that to happen.
“But only if we do justice that will prevent that from happening. We should all pick our pen today and write it, anything in the contrary, walahi, the Northern Nigeria will take another decision,” he threatened the party.
In his own reaction, Senate Chief Whip, Kalu described the zoning arrangement as undemocratic, warning that the party was setting a stage for members to revolt at the floor of the chambers on June 13 when the National Assembly would be inaugurated and voting to elect officers.
“What I want to say is that the country needs to live in peace. We need to live as people that have worked together for many years. And in doing this, vote should not count on what you get most times. Enmity should not also count in what one gets most times.
“We had a hurricane in our zone that nobody could have stopped it. President Buhari had 29.9 per cent in Abia in 2019. He had 68.7 per cent in Abia North senatorial district. We are still very proud of what we did to him. I insist that vote must not count because we need one another. The binding of one another is more important than the vote cast.
“Yes, vote cast is important to help the party win. But the party has won and we need peace and everybody on board. We cannot only count our success by vote, after all, in our zone, we used to be only two or three senators but today we are about six or seven APC senators from the zone.
In his plea to party leadership, he said: “I want to appeal to the NWC that giving every part of the country a piece of the cake makes the country safe and the people to feel that they are Nigerians. I have been at the vanguard of calling for Nigeria’s unity for over 40 years. Winning is not rocket science. Winning is not the issue but being your brother’s keeper is more important than winning.
“I appeal to you people to cede something reasonable and valuable to the South East… I am not saying that what you people have done does not look very nice but it is wrong micro-zoning to individuals, penciling people’s names. It is undemocratic and against the constitutional right of all the aspirants. Section 50(1) of the Constitution did not approve that for the National Assembly.
“So, we are going to challenge it. We are going to say no to it. I am a party man, I am a believer in the party and I have never disobeyed this party. But this is the first time we are going to say no to the party’s directive. We are going to say that we are not going to do this on the floor of the Senate.
“It is still early enough, about a few days to resolve it. It will be better that the party returns to the drawing board, deliberate, and call a consultative meeting. You have to review the zoning arrangement and correct the micro-zoning of the positions to individuals. It must be done by zone not name because it contradicts all the relevant sections of the (APC) Constitution.
“It will not be right for a big national party like ours to perpetrate what is unconstitutional. We want you people to do what will be in agreement with the Constitution. Mr. Chairman, don’t forget that all 109 senators are capable of becoming a Senate president. There is no one elected there who is not competent enough to be a Senate President,” he warned.
Like the senators, the members-elect were equally lethal in their presentation during their meeting with the party’s leadership. From the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, Muktar Betara Aliyu among other members of G-7 aspirants, it was threat galore all through the meeting.
Accusing Reps Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila of being behind the crisis between the party and the legislators, Wase warned: “Even though you have said is not foreclosed, the attempt now is that this is a foreclosed matter because it is also in the social media. We do not want a repeat of what has happened in the past.
“We should not forget about the Tambuwalisation of what happened in the House of Representatives. We should not forget about the emergence of Saraki and how he became the Senate President. The party as of today does not have the majority to be that arrogant, and we should not take people for granted,” he cautioned.
In his response, the party’s boss, Adamu, who looked so subdued, pleaded with the aspirants to hold their fire and allow the party leadership to undertake more consultations.
“We’re happy to receive and hear you express your displeasure for what we have done. As chairman of the APC and members of the NWC, we take responsibility. As chairman, I take responsibility for what has gone on air. I take absolute responsibility for that. And in that spirit, I welcome you to this office on behalf of my colleagues.
“On Wednesday, we received members of the lower chamber who are contesting for Speakership in the lower chamber and we had similar pronouncements – words of disagreement from them. What we will not do today from what we have received from you is to start to open any discussion with you at this sitting as to how what you heard got to be what you heard.
“Yes, there were no sufficient or adequate consultations with you that are contesting, and it is a simple principle of democracy that you get views and opinions. But the circumstances that we found ourselves in after the elections frustrated our desire,” he admitted.
Reacting further, the former governor of Nasarawa State said: “We will go back to the drawing board. We owe our party that duty to take a look at whether what was done cannot be changed; what was done needs some changes or reviews. “Hold the fire until the last word is heard from us. We are the custodians of the party.
“The voice of the President-elect is an essential voice. We must accommodate him the best we can. I will not compromise on that,” he appealed.
Curiously, the party’s boss has come under severe criticism over his alleged instigation of the crisis. Despite his promises to revisit and review the endorsements, the impasse has sown a big seed of discord and misunderstanding in the party, among majority members of the National Assembly and more importantly the new government of Tinubu.
Confiding in Daily Sun, multiple sources close to the NWC disclosed that the zoning implementation first suffered a terrible setback during the NWC meeting, as members, aware that the four musketeers comprising the National Chairman, his deputies North and South and his Secretary who simply wanted to use them to exonerate themselves from the imposition from the President-elect tagged along with them.
“The other NWC members were very much aware before the meeting to deliberate the zoning arrangement of the plans by the four leaders to put the rejection of the already anointed candidates for the positions on their heads but they decided to play along and align with them.
“Before then, it was obvious that the National Chairman was fully supporting the emergence of a former governor from the North West geopolitical zone but didn’t have the courage to press his demand before the President-elect and the hawks around him during the two tripartite meetings involving Tinubu, NASS leadership, and the party.
“What he did after the endorsements during the meeting was to hide under the excuse that they will table the resolutions before the generality of the NWC members for final rectification. But, unknown to him that they were aware of his plans, the other NWC members disappointed him by endorsing the zoning arrangements resolved during the two tripartite meetings.
“However, still bent on exonerating himself, he rejected several appeals to hold the meeting with the protesting aspirants for principal officers from both chambers behind closed doors and insisted that the media must be part of it.
“Even after fresh appeals to stop media involvement in the visit by the aspiring senators, he still insisted on involving the media. He actually achieved his aim with the kind of media publicity and attention the meetings generated, especially on the grievances of the aspirants.
“With the media coverage, he has not only put the issue in public domain and court of public opinion but has also documented evidences on the need to upturn the earlier decision as he rightly pointed out on both occasions,” our source noted.
Aware that the last may not have been heard in the unfolding drama, former National Secretary of the party, Waziri Bulama, cautioned the leadership of APC to avoid any situation that will polarize the party in handling the sensitive National Assembly leadership matters.
Asked if he thinks that the zoning of 10th Assembly leadership will tear apart the party, Bulama told Daily Sun that; “APC, will not be torn apart as a result of the rich and diverse opinions on the contest for the new leadership of the 10th Assembly.
“APC has so far remained united since its formation in 2013 and has succeeded in managing many complex national challenges successfully and harmoniously. The leadership of the APC will however avoid any situation that will polarize the party. Even though divergent opinions have been sounded, more consultations are expected to follow as already stated by the National Chairman. This is expected to result in a strong consensus to prevail on the flow of the 10th Assembly for rancour free elections upon inauguration,” Bulama cautioned.
