Bamidele, Umahi, Ndume, Others Get Top Positions As APC ‘Shares’ NASS Principal Offices

In a bid to douse tension and avoid a rift over the Majority Leadership of the National Assembly, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) have reportedly arrived at a template to accommodate the heavyweights jostling for offices, after consulting the various blocs of influence in the party.

Naija News gathered that the ruling party may send a letter today or tomorrow to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.

Sources revealed that the leadership of the APC concluded that all the aspirants for the principal offices are qualified, arriving at a “win-win template last night.”

Senate

The source said the power-sharing formula in the Senate is as follows: Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central, Southwest, Senate Leader); Dave Umahi (Ebonyi South, Southeast, Deputy Senate Leader); Ali Ndume (Borno South, Northeast, Chief Whip) and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South, Northcentral, Deputy Chief Whip).

A source told The Nation: “With this formula, the party expects a stable Senate. Hopefully, our senators will adopt this.

“The party doesn’t need to foist leadership on the Senate, but at the same time, we cannot be watching our senators split over a manageable situation.

“Both Bamidele and Ndume in particular are highly experienced. They also contributed to the emergence of the President of the Senate, Sen. Akpabio. It, therefore, became necessary to design a template formula for peace in the upper chamber.”

House of Representatives

In the House of Representatives, a similar peace formula was arrived at on Monday night.

Another source said: “So far, a consensus has been built around Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (Owan Constituency, Edo State, Southsouth) as the Majority Leader, Dauda Kumo (Akko Constituency, Gombe State, Northeast) as the Chief Whip and Woman Rep Adewunmi Onanuga (Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo Constituency, Ogun State, Southwest) as Deputy Chief Whip.”

A source revealed that the ruling party is yet to agree on who becomes the deputy leader in the House.

A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed the party’s breakthrough.

He said: “The APC leadership may write letters to the leadership of the two chambers.

“What is delaying it was the trip of the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, to Nasarawa State for a check-up.”

Opposition parties

A source said that the Senate Minority Caucus may consider a woman senator for a principal office.

Also, in the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda from Rivers State, Soutsouth, is the likely choice for the minority leader position.

A member of the Labour Party (LP) was on the drawing board as Deputy Minority Leader.

The source also hinted that Senator Kolo Kingibe (LP, FCT) might become a minority principal officer.