• Party’s govs ask Oyegun to be assertive over crisis • President meets with APC govs
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the struggle for the leadership of the National Assembly continued unabated yesterday, as the attempt by senators to finally settle their differences through zoning of offices ended in a brawl.
Consequently, the thinking that the face-off between the two factions, which emerged in the heat of the struggle for Senate presidency would be brought to an end, yesterday ended in a fiasco, as the senators could not agree on the modalities for sharing outstanding principal positions in the upper chamber.
The leadership of APC had heaved a sigh on Monday after a series of meetings meant to broker peace between feuding members of the Senate Unity Forum and Senators of Like Mind ended with an agreement on the zoning of leadership positions.
At the meeting of the party with APC senators on Monday night, the office of Senate Leader was zoned to the North-east with Senator Ahmad Lawan as the choice of candidate, while the Chief Whip’s office was zoned to the South-west, with Senator Olusola Adeyeye (Osun Central) as the candidate.
In the same vein, the Deputy Senate Leader's office was zoned to the North-central and Senator George Akume (Benue North-west) was tipped for the office, while Senator Abu Ibrahim (Katsina South, North-west) was tipped for the office of Deputy Chief Whip.
However, trouble started yesterday when at a closed-door session held by the APC caucus, Saraki told the senators that each zonal caucus should meet and present their choices for the offices.
In reaction, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North), a member of the Senate Unity Forum, rejected the suggestion by Saraki that each zonal caucus should present the officers to represent them, saying it was the exclusive preserve of the party to do so.
He insisted that the party would bring the names of the officers.
At this point, Senator Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central), the only South-west senator who belongs to Saraki’s camp, shouted Hunkuyi down, saying, “No, the party will not decide for us,” as he queried the rationale for the choice of Adeyeye by the party for the post of Chief Whip, remarking that Senator Ajayi Borrofice (Ondo North) would have been a better choice.
This submission was said to have infuriated Senator Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central) who accosted Alasoadura in anger and pushed him violently, prompting other senators to rush and rescue him from Marafa.
Hunkuyi obviously angered by the incident, rushed to the door, opened it and invited the press to cover the unwholesome melee.
THISDAY learnt yesterday that the list of officers for the Senate's principal offices was sent to Saraki by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun.
It was learnt that the party’s list contained the name of Lawan as Senate Leader, Akume as Deputy Senate Leader, Adeyeye as Chief Whip and Ibrahim as the Deputy Whip.
THISDAY further learnt that Saraki's group had, however, made the choice of Senator Francis Alimikhena, the only senator from the South-south on the platform of APC for the office of Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Adeyeye as Chief Whip, and Senator Na’ala from the North-west as Deputy Chief Whip.
But the party eliminated Alimikhena and opted for Akume who, like Saraki, hails from the North-central.
Yesterday’s melee was indicative that the reconciliation said to have been reached among the senators was anything but real, as the altercation was premised on factional affiliations.
At the beginning of the meeting, Saraki had told the caucus that he was ready to work with everyone without any ill feelings, with a view to achieving a focused leadership.
He enjoined his colleagues to bury the hatchet and resolve to work together in the spirit of unity. He also enjoined them to promote a family affair.
“It is time to bury the hatchet and renew that spirit of love, cooperation and trust in one another. The leadership of our party expects us to hit the ground running and the Nigeria populace is waiting to see us in action to deliver on our promises and commitment.
“Let us start this journey of unity today and let the world see that yes, in the Eighth Senate, we are one family. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted by the people around us or be carried away by the noise out there. Let us remain focused and determined,” he pleaded.
But obviously his plea fell of deaf ears.
Hunkuyi later spoke with the press on how the crisis began, stating, “The group that gathered here was the under the auspices of All Progressives Congress Senate Caucus.
“The APC Senate Caucus is not an instrument of the constitution of the APC. The issue of leadership of the chamber that belongs to the group of APC cannot be decided here. It is common reasoning and common sense.
“We have a leadership of the party. The leadership of the party, that is, the APC still reigns supreme to decide the four positions of leadership where it should go and who shall have it.
“An attempt here to do otherwise is the cause of this rancour. We are just coming from the national headquarters of the party and we are aware the leadership of the APC is doing all it can do to curb part of what should not have happened in this chamber now.
“Therefore, simply put, the cause of the rancour is an attempt by the (Senate) leadership that has emerged, in otherwise fishy circumstances to again force their will on the majority of the senators of the APC, notwithstanding the fact that there is a leadership of the APC that has not come with the final decision.
“You could see it’s a very simple thing but we believe it is an attempt, but a very bad one for that matter, because it cannot happen. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is even trailing behind has a procedure.
“The leadership of the PDP will definitely suggest and come up with a procedure to give the leadership of their own group, which are four in number.
“So why is somebody trying to impose something else through another means, through another procedure that is not constitutional to APC? That will not happen,” he vowed.
But while the camp of APC was boiling over, there was peace in the PDP Caucus where Senator James Manager (Delta South) was said to be favoured to emerge as the Minority Leader.
The crisis among the APC senators, notwithstanding, the principal officers may emerge today.
The crisis among the APC senators also reverberated at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja when nine governors of APC yesterday met behind closed doors with Oyegun.
It was believed that the governors were on a mission to express their disappointment over the mishandling of the crisis in the legislature and asked him to assert his authority on the position of the party on outstanding principal positions in the Senate.
THISDAY gathered that Oyegun met with the governors accompanied by the party's National Secretary, Mai-Mala Buni and the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni.
The APC governors who met with the chairman were Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai (Kaduna), Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Alhaji Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger) and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa).
Almost all the governors maintained sealed lips when they emerged from the meeting. Similarly, Oyegun did not respond to journalists’ enquiries as to what transpired at the meeting with the governors as he made his way straight to his waiting black Toyota sports utility vehicle (SUV).
However, when the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed was asked if there was any truth that Oyegun may have also been asked to resign by the governors, he said he was unaware of such a move, stating that the governors only came to confer with the national chairman over the crisis in the National Assembly
“It is absolute nonsense. I am not privy to what the governors came to discuss with the national chairman in his office but I can assure you that they did not come to ask him to resign,” he said
The NWC meeting was ongoing when the governors came and demanded to meet with Oyegun alone in his office.
THISDAY gathered from a party source that Oyegun decided to temporarily halt the NWC meeting as a mark of respect to attend to the governors.
The governors, who came from their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, spent about two hours with the Oyegun and his colleagues before leaving the party’s secretariat.
Although what was discussed was not disclosed, a reliable source said the governors may have come to protest to Oyegun and inform him of their misgivings on the handling of the crisis in the legislature.
The source said that they discussed issues relating to the peace efforts to settle the crisis resulting from the leadership tussle in the National Assembly, and implored him to be assertive on the party’s position on who should occupy the principal posts in the legislature.
Following the unpleasant outcome of the recent elections for the leadership of the National Assembly, which saw the ruling party failing to enthrone its preferred candidates, some of the party chieftains blamed APC’s leadership for not being proactive enough to arrest the situation.
After meeting with governors, the APC national chairman also met with Senators Lawan and Akume who came to the secretariat along with Senator Kabiru Marafa.
A source at national secretariat of the party also told THISDAY that Oyegun restated the party’s stand to give the two senators (Lawan and Akume) the offices of Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader.
Meanwhile, the Oyo governor rudely vented his frustration on anxious journalists who demanded to know their mission at the secretariat.
The governor who is among the state chief executives currently battling with unpaid workers’ salaries, derided the journalists saying the media they represent were unknown.
Ajumobi asked all the journalists present, one after the other, the names of their media organisations and then yelled, “I don't know any of these media houses, so I can't talk.”
Some of the media representatives present at the secretariat included those from Telegraph newspaper, Vision FM, Leadership newspaper, Blueprint Newspaper, THISDAY newspaper, News Dairy, Lagos Television (LTV), Galaxy TV, The Tide newspaper, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and The Niche, among others.
Ajumobi, who spoke in Yoruba, derisively dismissed them, stating he did not have time to make any comment.
In a related development, President Muhammadu Buhari last night met with the governors of the party last night in Abuja, presumably to discuss the crisis in the APC over the leadership tussle in the National Assembly.
The meeting was held inside the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa behind closed doors.
The meeting, which started at a few minutes before 11pm, was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, but checks indicated that it may not have been unconnected to the disquiet in the party.
A source said the governors had decided to inform Buhari that as a leader the party, he cannot continue to remain aloof and ignore the upheaval threatening the foundation of the APC.
Culled from Thisday
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