The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will, today, meet to take a decision on the leadership of the 9th Assembly. A member of the NWC, who disclosed this to New Telegraph, said the meeting would be held to decide on the zoning of the positions for the leadership of the National Assembly (NASS). Other sources close to the NWC also corroborated it, but gave no further details.
“The NWC would meet on Monday (today) to take decision on zoning of NASS leadership. Our meeting on Monday will centre on the leadership of the NASS. That is what we will look at and discuss. Once we agree on the zoning, we will present it to the President,” the source said. Already, three geopolitical zones are clamouring for the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives positions.
The North-Central, North-East and South-East are demanding for the position of the Senate President while the North-East, South-West and South-East are seeking to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Among those who have indicated interest for the position of the Senate President are Senate Leader, Dr. Ahmed Lawan (North-East); former governor of Abia State and Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu (South-East); former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume (North-East); former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje (North-East) and former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu (North-Central). In 2015, under controversial circumstances, the North-Central produced the Senate President with the South-East emerging as Deputy Senate President from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while the North-East produced the Senate Leader.
He, however, said there would be no repeat of what happened in 2015 where lawmakers defied the directives of the ruling party in the selection of leaders in the National Assembly. According to Onilu, nothing would be left to chance, as the party cannot afford to allow itself to be pushed into a situation of unending squabbles between the executive and legislature, again.
“I can assure you that as it is done in advanced democracies and in any true democracy under a presidential government where the majority party forms the leadership of the house with the knowledge of the party, that is what is going to happen. This did not happen in 2015, no matter what the issues were, but now this will happen,” he said.
