Saraki, Dogara, North Central, South East Reps Reject APC National Assembly Officers List

Premium Times reports that the nominees list for leadership positions in the House of Assembly presented by the All Progressive Congress has been rejected by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

On Tuiesday, the APC  sent a list to the two leaders which included names of those who lost out in the leadership elections to be appointed as principal officers.

Saraki (left) and Yakubu Dogara

The party nominated Mr. Ahmed Lawan as Senate Leader; Sola Adeyeye as Chief Whip; George Akume as Deputy Senate Leader; and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Whip.

For positions in House Representatives, the party nominated Femi Gbajabiamila as House Leader, Mohammed Monguno as Chief Whip; Alhassan Doguro as Deputy Speaker; and Pally Iriase as Deputy Whip.

However investigations reveal that Saraki and Dogara have both not agreed to endorse the list.

A senior official with the APC told Premium Times: “The issue of the principal officers is a party affair. Traditionally; in the legislative practice, it is the party that forwards names of its members who should fill the positions to the Senate President or Speaker as the case maybe. And that is what APC is insisting on.”

The official described how Dogara was ready to work with the APC unlike Saraki who is stalling.

He said: “What Dogara is saying is that if the party takes the House Leader, a member from his group should be the Chief Whip and so on. But Saraki is not ready to comply with the party’s directives at all.

“You know why Saraki is doing like that and making the party to be at his mercy? He is confident the party cannot mobilise the two-thirds majority to remove him.”

He continued: “The party has written letters to both the Senate President and the Speaker. What the party is expecting is compliance; nothing but compliance.”

Asked what the party would do should the National Assembly leaders decide to kick against the directive of the party. We are expecting him to do that. We are waiting for him. We shall wait for him.”

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Saraki could not be contacted on the telephone to comment however,Saraki supporter and fellow senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) said the senate president’s camp was not ready to negotiate any terms with the APC.

He told a correspondent during a telephone conversation: “Saraki has won the election and become Senate President. That’s the position everybody should live with it. And I don’t know for the man who contested for the Senate President but now lobbying to be Leader. It is like contesting for governor and then looking to be Commissioner. They should have pride.”

It was gathered that the senate session was full of tension as senators argued over the possible zoning of the available positions.

While Senators supporting Saraki insisted the positions the zoned as follows: Majority Leader, North-East; Deputy Majority Leader, North-West; Chief Whip, South-West; and Deputy Whip, South-South, others supporting the APC claimed the party must fill all the available positions.

A senator representing Kaduna North said the disagreements stemmed from the party’s attempt to impose its decisions on the majority of the APC senators.

He said: “The leadership of the party, which is the APC, still reigns supreme to decide the true position of leadership and we shall have it. An attempt to do otherwise is to cause confusion.”

Meanwhile Abu Ibrahim, representing Katsina South senatorial district, claimed it was not a rule that positions be zoned.

He claimed: “As far as I am concerned this was never done, I was a principal officer in the last senate, the party gave our names and that’s how I became a principal officer”

He continued: “The party has to wield its big stick, if anybody decides to go against the directives of the party. The party must take disciplinary action”.

Meanwhile before the Senate’s closed-door meeting that caused the commotion begged the lawmakers to work as a family and resolve their issues.

“Distinguished colleagues, I do believe that no matter what are the issues outstanding amongst us as a family, they are surmountable and resolvable in the atmosphere of love and understanding.

“In this room today, we can and shall put the past behind us and we shall all come out of this room, individually and collectively victorious. There is nothing like a winner or loser.

“Our party, the APC is the winner and we are all conquerors,’’ he said.

However new reports inform that APC representatives from the North Central and South East regions rejected the party’s nominees for principal positions in the House.

In another report by Premium Times, the reps spoke at different moments describing how it was not in federal character to ignore different when choosing assembly officers.

Reps member, Pataki said: “We view with utter disbelief and amazement the purported letter published in the news media stating that the party’s position was taken after due consultation, when in actual fact we were never consulted as caucus.”

“We are also amazed by the directive of the party to the leadership of the House ‘to take necessary action’ on the purported choice made by the Party, which we see as a clear usurpation of the powers of Zonal Caucuses and their members as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Standing Rules of the House of Representatives.

“We therefore strongly reject the purported selection by the Party which we see as being in conflict with the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic.

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“The caucus believes strongly that there should be fairness and equity in the selection of other Principal positions of the House of Representatives following the emergence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. We believe it will be inconsiderate of the Party to consider both the North East and South West zones after both zones have produced the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.

“We have resolved to pursue this injustice with all civil and legitimate channels.”

Other reps members to oppose the lsit include: Mohammed Zakari, from Kwara state, Abubakar Dahiru, Nasarawa State; Razak Atunwa, Kwara State; Ahmed Idris Plateau State; Umar Jibril, Kogi State; Mark Gbillah, Benue State; and Mahmud Mohammed, Niger State.

Others include Ajanah Kabir, Aliyu Ahman, Adedoyin Princess, Musa Onwana, Okolo Benjamin, Mohammed Bago, Olayonu Tope.

South East protesters elected on the platform of APC, Chike Okafor and Chukwukere Ikechuchu also lamented that the party left their region out of the list.

It should however be noted that the APC leadership is also at loggerheads with President Muhammudu Buhari.

It was gathered that the president is unhappy that members of the party’s national working committee are interested in positions within his cabinet.

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