By Uche Amunike
The National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has been unable to decide on the zoning of both the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the 10th National Assembly during its meeting held in Abuja, Wednesday.
This disclosure was made by the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullah Adamu, who stated that it was impossible for the party to decide on the zoning arrangement without the input of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who was on a trip to Port Harcourt to inaugurate some projects executed by the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, as at the time the meeting was held.
The meeting, which lasted for four hours was presided by the APC Chairman. Out of the 24 members of the National Working Policy of the party, 18 members were in attendance and one of the expectations of the outcome of that meeting was to address the issue of zoning of principal officers of the 10th Assembly.
While the South-East and South-South lawmakers clamored for equitably awarding the Senate Presidency to their zones, those from the north held that they were all for competence and experience being the parameters applied in making that choice.
Speaking, to journalists after the meeting, Adamu disclosed that their interaction was meaningful and proved that the leadership of the APC remained more united than ever before.
His words: ‘The outcome of our four-hour meeting: We came out more formidable and united than anything. The zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly that some of you are asking about is not what today’s meeting is all about. When we want to do zoning, we don’t just go alone as a party.’
‘The outcome of our four-hour meeting: We came out more formidable and united than anything. The zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly that some of you are asking about is not what today’s meeting is all about. When we want to do zoning, we don’t just go alone as a party.’
The National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Felix Morka, also affirmed the views of the Chairman, and informed journalists that a 5-man committee was also formed during the meeting, to address the lingering feud between Adamu and Lukman, even as they look into the concerns raised by the Kaduna politicians.
Hear him: ‘Amongst all of the issues discussed at the meeting, we look at some internal and domestic housekeeping matters with a colleague that you know who has expressed his concerns about something he believes the party should be doing. We deliberated fully about it.’
‘As we speak, a committee that was set up to complete that conversation is in progress right now. So, there is still a meeting that is ongoing that I am supposed to be part of to fully rectify that discussion and offer final recommendations on that subject.’
‘But I am happy to report that the party stands united behind the leadership of the National Chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. We are all standing together. The concerns raised by our colleague (Lukman) who has concerns, are being looked into. And I think in due course, we will have very specific conclusions from those discussions.’
On the issue of the delay in deciding the zoning of the principal offices, especially Senate Presidency and Speaker, Morka replied: ‘We are not wasting time. There is no timeline to do so. The zoning is something that the party does. It is a mechanism by which the party is able to make decisions and afford those who are interested in competing for power in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly to do so seamlessly with a minimum rift and rancor.’
‘So there is no timeline to that. We are not in a hurry. We want to do it right. You also heard the chairman say it required very exhaustive consultation. Not just from the leadership of the party but also from those who are aspiring so that whatever the party comes up with, by way of formula, will be acceptable with minimum friction. It is important that the consultation is done and it is done properly. That is what is going on right now.’
