There are signs of a seeming disconnect between the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with the party being excluded from key decisions taken in Aso Rock presidential villa as well as the National Assembly.
The party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, disavowed the principal officers of the National Assembly announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Adamu refuted claims that the leading party had endorsed certain APC lawmakers for principal offices.
During a meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and governors elected on the party’s platform, the national chairman described reports in this regard as a ‘rumor’.
Akpabio declared Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) as the majority leader of the 10th Senate and Senator David Umahi (Ebonyi South) as deputy majority leader.
He also named the former Senate leader, Ali Ndume (Borno South), as chief whip and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the deputy chief whip.
In the House, Speaker Abbas announced Hon Julius Ihonvbere (Edo) as majority leader and Hon Usman kumo (Gombe) as chief whip.
Abbas also named Halims Abdulahi from Kogi as deputy majority leader and Hon Oriyomi Onanuga from Ogun as the deputy chief whip.
The Speaker also announced Hon Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as the minority leader; Hon Ali Isah (PDP, Gombe) as minority whip; Madaki Aliyu (NNPP, Kano) as deputy minority leader and George Ozodinobi (Anambra, LP) as deputy minority whip.
However, Adamu clarified during the meeting that the party has not officially communicated its preferred choices of presiding officers of the National Assembly.
The meeting, LEADERSHIP gathered, was to discuss critical issues regarding the forthcoming National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
A former Senator from Kaduna South, Senator Shehu Sani, expressed his conviction that there are issues within the APC leadership and its government at the center, noting that the National Assembly leadership appears to be conferring with the presidency without consulting with the party.
“Akpabio and Abbas’ list appears to have been announced with the consent of the President but without consulting or harmonizing with the party. The signal here is that the party is shut out or kept at arm’s length,” Shehu Sani tweeted on his Twitter handle, @ShehuSani.
Adamu informed the governors that the party was yet to officially communicate its preferred choices of presiding officers of the National Assembly.
He said, “You will get an update of the national election in the National Assembly sharing of powers, particularly the leadership of the chambers- the election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate president and deputy Senate president. The elections of the Speaker and the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined.
“The remaining offices to be determined by the two chambers are yet to be done. I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the president of the Senate and his deputy. The following day which was Sunday, I received the Speaker and his deputy Speaker coming to me for Sallah’s homage.
“But I am just hearing as a rumor now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.
“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions. So whatever announcement is done either by the president of the Senate, deputy Senate president, Speaker or deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.”
Adamu formally informed the governors of the reconstitution of the party’s caucus, noting that for quite some time there had been no caucus in place.
He said, “The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC. And we will be discussing that with you as governors. You know your state more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.
“We will hear your advice and then see how we can ensure that we comply with the provisions of the constitution of the party.
“We hope that we will be receiving some reports from the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) chairman, or his representative, to get to know about your feelings and what is going on, and what is your thinking on what to do to improve the chances of the party and therefore reduce the problems and bickering that we have been hearing from time to time. Then we will have time and by the grace of God permitting, we will have interactions.
“Along with the caucus, the National Advisory Council will give you the list that has been prepared and make sure that every state is represented. And we will give you the knowledge of it and advice.”
Adamu also updated the governors on the audit of the party’s account in the last year, which he said the NWC hopes to submit in seven days at the NEC meeting.
“You will also be given the benefits of all the detailed accounts from April 2022 to April 2023. The PCC account has been audited and it has been submitted to the INEC by the party,” he noted.
Earlier yesterday, Senate President Akpabio had read letters from the caucuses of both the opposition and the governing parties on their consensus list of the principal officers.
The Senate has said that it is ready to receive names of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointees, including the service chiefs and ministers for screening and confirmation.
The Senate leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the Senate is now ready for full legislative activities and they still need to constitute committees before the end of the month.
“A new leadership has emerged from the 10th Senate. After we elected the presiding officers on the 13 June without rancor, the principal officers have also emerged without any problem,” Bamidele said.
“We see this as an assignment. There will be positives and our efforts are to ensure that Nigerians benefit.
“The two presiding officers emerged without rancor. The emergence of the principal officers was from the APC through the principal stakeholders in the two arms of government and the party. That is what led to our emergence.
“In the opposition, six political parties were involved and 56 members were involved. 38 of them signed for the new principal officers to emerge,” Bamidele said, even as he stated that they see their emergence as the principal officers of the 10th Senate as an assignment they must be serious about.
“They took a decision who their leaders should be and the presiding officers have to follow the decision of the lawmakers. 38 of the opposition lawmakers signed the list of endorsement of the principal officers.
“We have to go on an executive session before an announcement could be made regarding the principal officers. So the process is no victory, no vanquish,” Opeyemi said, adding that they must hit the ground running.
“For us, the next task is to hit the ground running. The first task is to constitute the committees.
“The first six committees including the election committee will be set up before other committees will come and before the standing committees.
“This July, we are to ensure that all committees are set up. We are also ready to receive communication from Mr President concerning his appointees.
“We are ready to screen and confirm the service chief and others appointees. We are ready for communication on the service chiefs and all other appointments that need urgent confirmation,” Bamidele said.
On whether the villa influenced their emergence as principal officers, Bamidele said there was no list from the Villa.
“But we are also not pretending. We have two arms of government being controlled by one party and everywhere in the world, these stakeholders will show interest in every leadership.
“In the US, the vice president is also the Senate President. But our drafters of the constitution said the Senators will elect among themselves who should lead them.
“If the party shows interest, since our rules say the party will nominate, the president is the leader of the party, he will show interest,” Bamidele said, adding that there is no disagreement in the APC concerning the composition of the principal officers.
“In our party the APC, everything is in order. What was read today was a consensus,” Bamidele said, admitting that it was an unusual situation that is growing Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
“It was an unusual situation that showed the growth of democracy in Nigeria. Votes of Nigerians are beginning to count,” Bamidele said of the number of opposition lawmakers they have from seven political parties.
Also, the Senator representing Plateau Central, Diket Plang, has said that they will ensure that the service chiefs appointed by President Tinubu are screened thoroughly to assess their ability to address the security challenges in the country.
According to Plang, the service chiefs won’t “take a bow and go,” because Nigeria needs capable hands to tackle the worsening insecurity.
“The appointees must undergo Senate screening and confirmation,” he added.
The Plateau Senator who spoke on his motion on the need to tackle insecurity, told journalists that the 10th Senate is a collection of wise people adding that they will ensure that the issue of insecurity that is eating deep in the country is tackled.Ihonvbere, Kumo, Chinda, Others Emerge Reps’ Principal Officers
In the House, Speaker Abbas announced Hon Julius Ihonvbere (Edo) as majority leader and Hon Usman kumo (Gombe) as chief whip.
Abbas also named Halims Abdulahi from Kogi as deputy majority leader and Hon Oriyomi Onanuga from Ogun as the deputy chief whip.
The Speaker also announced Hon Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) as the minority leader; Hon Ali Isah (PDP, Gombe) as the minority whip; Madaki Aliyu (NNPP, Kano) as the deputy minority leader and George Ozodinobi (Anambra, LP) as the deputy minority whip.
Abbas announced this at resumed plenary on Tuesday while reading letters from the APC and the House minority caucus.
LEADERSHIP had reported that principal officers and chairmen of standing committees would be unveiled when the House resumes plenary after inauguration recess and Eid-el-Kabir break.
Speaker Abbas, in his address to the lawmakers, said the constitution of the standing committees was still ongoing.
“May I also report that the constitution of committees is ongoing. The process is designed to meet the interest of every member irrespective of party and political affiliations.
“However, we will be guided by the legislative interests, experiences, capacity and background of every member. The same principle should be adopted in filling up the remaining principal positions of the House,” he said.
The chairman, Special Ad-hoc Committee on Media, Hon Kadijat Burka-Ibrahim, told journalists that the constitution of the standing committees will be concluded before the House embarks on its annual vacation in three weeks.
The 10th House of Representatives said it will prioritize the participatory budgeting process and delivery, law reform, electoral reform, women’s participation and inclusion in governance, as well as improved socio-economic conditions in its Legislative Agenda.
The House also said entrepreneurship, employment, health and education, infrastructure, citizens-focused diplomacy, institutional capacity development and citizens engagement, constitutional amendment and restructuring, as well as renewable energy will be given attention.
The Speaker of the House, Abbas, who stated these in a welcome address at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday also said the 10th Assembly will adopt the ‘OPEN NASS’ Project.
Abbas said the ‘Open NASS’ project will not only affect the conduct of oversight and law-making but will also cover issues around the funds of the National Assembly.
He said, “If, as a legislature, we ask questions about how other arms of government utilize appropriated funds, we must equally be open to taking such questions from citizens.
“This equally requires having functional constituency offices and regular interactions with our constituents. We will strive to return the legislature to those who own it through regular, meaningful, and productive engagement.
“As noted in my acceptance speech, Colleagues, I remain grateful for the privilege of leading the 10th House as the Speaker. I assure you that I will not fail in discharging my duties alongside everyone. Let me reiterate that the House, under my leadership, will be fair to every member irrespective of our political leanings. Feel free to approach us anytime, as we carry this responsibility of service to the fatherland.
“May I remind us once again that we have been called to serve at one of the most difficult times when our nation and people face tough challenges with huge expectations, but for us to succeed in this task ahead and bridge the massive deficit in citizens’ trust in government, we must set aside our differences and work together as patriots, committed to the ideals upon which our great nation was founded.
“Let us put the interests of Nigeria above all else and strive to create an inclusive society that upholds the rule of law, protects human rights, and promotes social and economic progress for all. Together, let us work tirelessly to address our nation’s pressing issues.”
The Speaker said the House shall strengthen committees to conduct oversight of MDAs effectively, stressing that oversight duties, including investigative hearings, must be brought to their logical conclusions with reports and recommendations tabled before the entire House for necessary legislative actions.
Abbas expressed concern over the possible lack of legislative capacity of fresh members, who are large in number due to the high rate of turnover at the last general elections.
He said, “Colleagues, we cannot gloss over the capacity challenges this 10th House will have to grapple with as we settle down to work. This, of course, is owing to the high turnover rate of the legislature. It is perhaps the highest in our democratic journey since 1999. It is in this regard that I implore you to consider competence, capacity, and experience in choosing your Aides”
“There is an array of experienced hands within and outside the National Assembly you can rely on. Your success as a legislator is largely dependent on the quality of your legislative Aides as well as the legislative bureaucrats. In view of the high legislative turnover which has become part of our democratic culture, the House, going forward, will consider professionalizing the legislative Aides services to ensure that new members have a smoother transition into the Assembly.”