•Govs, APC leaders, clergymen, others keep vigil at Tinubu’s residence
•Adamu visits Tinubu, party keeps mum on zoning, NEC meeting
A day after President-elect, Bola Tinubu, returned from an over 30-day vacation in Europe, intense jostling for appointments in the new government have commenced as leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), ministers, outgoing governors, members-elect of the National Assembly, clerics from various faiths, among others have besieged his Asokoro, Abuja home and Defence House in Maitama District of Abuja, where he stays occasionally .
Tinubu returned on Monday afternoon having left in March after his emergence as president-elect in what his media aides explained as ‘deserved rest’ in France and United Kingdom from the campaigns and a scheduled Hajj (Umrah) in Saudi Arabia.
A visit to the Defence House, yesterday, by Daily Sun showed a beehive of activities and high vehicular movements in the area.Security agents have also taken over major spots in the area, preventing unwanted visitors from parking vehicles anywhere near the official residence of the President-elect.
It was, however, learnt that the desperation by some of the persons who flooded the Defence House, yesterday, to lobby for key appointments had earlier seen some of the persons, among them Christian clerics, tracking the President-elect to Saudi Arabia where he was billed for pilgrimage during the Ramadam season.
A source privy to the development told Daily Sun: “Few days after the announcement of Tinubu’s itinerary, outgoing APC governors, top government officials, pastors, imams, members-elect of the National Assembly, ministers in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, members of APC Presidential Campaign Council, among others, hurriedly proceeded to Saudi Arabia, to lobby the president-elect on appointment to juicy positions. Unfortunately, Tinubu’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia was called off without any reasons by his handlers. Those who had traveled to the Holy Land to wait for Tinubu’s arrival returned to Nigeria disappointed.”
Most of the lobbyists are seeking positions such as cabinet members, aides of the president and his deputy, principal officers of the National Assembly, CEOs and board members of federal parastatals, especially those considered to be lucrative like in the CBN, Customs, foreign missions, oil, gas, maritime and aviation sectors.
The top shot in the APC, who said the lobbyists had invested and worked for Tinubu victory, said they did not want to leave getting their dividends to fate.
He, however, declined to name those who booked flights to Saudi Arabia under the guise of performing the Umrah just to meet the Presdient-elect.
During the visit to Defence House, top government officials with their retinue of security aides, were seen stranded unable to access the residence of the president-elect.
“They’ve resorted to keeping vigils around the vicinity, hoping to somehow catch-up with Tinubu or his close allies who could help their cause,” said the source that spoke with Daily Sun
Among those seen waiting in their vehicles were ministers, members-elect of the National Assembly, priests and imams, members of APC NWC.
With the new law signed by President Buhari, Tinubu is expected to constitute his cabinet before the end of July 2023. The law mandates the President-elect and governors-elect to submit names of persons nominated as ministers or commissioners within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly.
Meanwhile, following Tinubu’s return, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, is expected to summon the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where burning issues on zoning of National Assembly offices and other post-election crises rocking the party would be discussed.
Tinubu, who until his emergence as president-elect, was party national leader is expected to attend the meeting and declare his position on certain issues. Already, critical stakeholders and other leaders have been pushing for the zoning of the position of the Senate president to the South East; Speakership to North West; Deputy Senate President to North Central and Deputy Speakership to South South. There are feelers that barring any last minute changes, the leadership of APC may settle for the aforementioned suggestions of APC stakeholders.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Felix Morka, told Daily Sun that the NWC would take a decision soon as an agreement is reached on the zoning arrangements but declined to speak on a possible date for the NEC meeting.
“I cannot give a timeline on when the party will announce the zoning of the positions in the National Assembly. In due course, we will do that. I just can’t tell when it will happen,” he said.
•Adamu resumes office
National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, yesterday, visited Tinubu without any national officer accompanying him.
Unlike the usual convivial atmosphere of members of the NWC reporting to the party’s secretariat whenever he is around, only few persons were around, just as visitors did not also throng the party’s headquarters on visit to him.
A member of the NWC and North-West Zonal chairman, Salihu Moh Lukman, had issued Adamu a seven-day ultimatum that will elapse today, to convene an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting or face legal action.
Perhaps, haunted by the ultimatum, Adamu had arrived the secretariat by 11.50am, spent few hours before departing for the President-elect’s resident in Asokoro where he met other party leaders including Speaker House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau.
Others who visited the president-elect, were Senators Olamilekan Adeola, Opeyemi Bamidele, Emma Bwacha, Tokunbo Abiru and House of Representatives member, James Faleke.
Although details of the meeting he had with President-elect was not made public, it might not be unconnected with the zoning of leadership positions of the 10th National Assembly.
There were indications that he might be compelled to convene an NWC meeting to kick-start the discussion of zoning arrangement of the party for the 10th Assembly to discourage the all-comers scenario experienced currently.
At the moment, contestants for the race for Senate President include: Senator Orji Uzo Kalu (Abia– South-East); Osita Izunanso (Imo– South-East); Sen Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom – South-South), Sen Sani Musa (Niger – North-Central), Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano State, North-West); and former Governor of Zamfara state, Abdul Aziz Yari (Zamfara – North-West).
Conntestants for the position of Speakership of the House of Representatives included Ahmed Idris Wase (Plateau – North-Central); Mukhtar Betara (Borno – North-East); Abbas Tajudeen (Kaduna – North-West); Sada Soli (Katsina – North-West) and Aminu Jaji (Zamfara – North-West).
Speaking with newsmen after the meeting the President-elect, Akpabio said he would bank of his past records to clinch the ticket of the Senate President of the 10th Senate, stressing: “My records will earn me the Senate presidency ticket.”
(Sun News)
