10th NASS: Clash Between APC Governors, Lawmaker-Elects, NWC Over Zoning

The endorsement of certain individuals for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly by outgoing governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) has caused disagreement among APC leaders and incoming National Assembly members.

A viral video shows Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and other APC governors claiming that former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been endorsed as the party’s consensus candidate.

Ganduje while speaking in Calabar said, “The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the South-South and it is no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom State.

“The uncommon governor, the uncommon minister, who is going to be the uncommon President of the Senate. So, we have resolved that. I am giving you assurances; we are waiting for the D-Day that he will be the Senate President of Nigeria.”

However, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu said the party is still discussing and will announce its position soon.

He said, “When we do the zoning meeting, we don’t just go alone as a party. Zoning is to take along the person who has the mandate of this country, the president-elect, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu; we want to take him along. He travelled after the election and he came back only last week and we have to carry him along.

“And we cannot stop those who are ambitious or zoning interests, or individual interests, we cannot deny them. And as long as that is there, we have to find a way, persuasively, to reach some level of consensus. That’s what we are working on. It is not a one-day affair.”

Last week, there were claims that President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu endorsed Akpabio, but this move was opposed by various Senate caucuses.

Some APC stakeholders argue that micro-zoning the position will be harmful and others insist it should be zoned to the South-East to give people a sense of belonging in the APC.

Opposition senators and some APC lawmakers demand that members of the 10th National Assembly be allowed to elect their own leaders.

They warn that if this request is ignored, Tinubu might face challenges similar to those experienced by Muhammadu Buhari when Bukola Saraki was Senate President.

A source that spoke with Saturday Sun on the clash said, “The contest is between the South East and the South-South. You can’t micro-zone the position. APC has left out the South East since 2015. Tinubu is too smart to repeat the same mistake. Shutting down the South East will be detrimental.

“We expect APC to zone the position of the President of the Senate to the South East or the entire South and allow anyone interested to slug it out. But it appears some elements are opposed to any fair contest.

“They want to repeat the mistake of 2015 and 2019, where they micro-zoned the positions in the National Assembly to certain people. In 2015, we saw the rebellion. In 2019, people who reduced the National Assembly to a subservient position were elected.

“I believe Tinubu will have the final say in taking a decision. We should wait until he takes over soon. The dynamics will change. The governors who endorsed Akpabio will be irrelevant by May 29th. Their access to Tinubu and power will be limited.”