10th NASS: Aspirants Plot Rebellion Against APC If Speakership Position Is Zoned

The All Progressives Congress, APC, is worried that zoning of the Speakership position may lead to rebellion by interested members of the House who have vowed to resist any move to zone the coveted position.

The House would be convened in June with an official letter from the president calling on the Clerk of the National Assembly to inaugurate the Assembly.

As a norm going by the extant law, the party with the majority produces the speaker to preside over the affairs of the House for four years.

But even as the Independent National Electoral Commission is yet to conclude election into the House with elections holding on April 15 in 33 constituencies, some members of the House have indicated their interest to contest for the position.

Members who have indicated interest for the position are from the three geopolitical zones in the North and one person from the Southeast.

There is Yusuf Gagdi, a former Speaker of Plateau House of Assembly; Ahmed Wase, the incumbent Deputy Speaker of the House and five times lawmaker in the House; and Tunji Olawuyi, the current Chairman, House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness.

Also, Aliyu Betara, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation; Benjamin Kalu, the Spokesperson of the House, Abdulraheem Olawuyi, representing Ekiti, Isin, Irepodun and Oke-ero Federal Constituency of Kwara State; and Aliyu Muktar Betara, represents Biu, Bayo, Kwaya Kusar, Shani Federal Constituency of Borno State have also indicated interest to contest with their campaign Secretariat’s up and running.

Currently, the APC leads the House with 162 with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, having 102 elected members.

The Labour Party has 34, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has 18 and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, has 4 seats.

The Social Democratic Party, SDP, and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, won two seats each.

With the high number of seats won by the opposition, there are fears in the APC leadership that zoning could go awry, reminiscent of the 2015 senate election of principal officers.

While the spokesman of the APC, Felix Morka told THE WHISTLER that, “The party would decide what is best for it and the country, it is too early to take any decision,” a member of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC confided in our correspondent that “the party is indeed worried.”

He explained that “the APC would have to tread carefully because it is a dicey situation so that we don’t reenact what happened in the Senate in 2015 in the House in 2023.

“The opposition has the number to elect the Speaker. And if the party performs poorly on the 15 April supplementary polls, then we may have a speaker from the opposition.

“But I believe the party would do the right thing” even as he lamented that the leadership crisis in the APC, which has divided the party may affect its collective decision-making process.

Recall the National Vice Chairman, North-West, Malam Salihu Lukman, on Monday accused the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, of running a one-man show even on issues of finance.

“As a member of the NWC, I can say without fear of contradiction, all decisions bordering on managing the finances of the party are being taken by the National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore,” Lukman said.

He pointed out that, “Most members of NWC are reduced to onlookers or at best rubber stamps. All appeals for accountability have fallen on deaf ears.

“The decision of the NWC to convene the NEC meeting in August last year was simply sabotaged,” Lukman added.

The NWC member confirmed to THE WHISTLER that, “Yes there is a crisis and the party cannot pretend not to notice because if the opposition produces the Speaker then, all our efforts would have been undone.”

Sources close to some aspirants promised APC “rebellion” if the party decides to isolate and zone the speakership position.

A director of campaign to one of the aspirants told our correspondent that, “The Party argued that the emergence of Bola Tinubu was based on competence otherwise the South East should have been allowed to produce the candidate in June 2022.

“Also, the party argued again, against all norms and agitations for it to see reason but failed to and went ahead for Shettima (Kashim) to emerge as the party’s Vice Presidential running mate.

“Today, we have a muslim as a president-elect and we have a muslim as vice-president-elect but on the basis of competence according to them.

“So what moral right would the party say it has that it would use to zone the speakership position or even the senate president position?

“None! Absolutely none.

“If they try it, there would be rebellion because the opposition is not sleeping. They have the number.

“Check it, am I right or wrong? They have the number and can even produce the speaker or queue behind an unpopular aspirant to win.

“’It happened in the senate in 2015 when Bukola Saraki teamed up with the PDP to win and the PDP produced the Deputy Senate President in the name of Ike Ekweremadu.

“He is the next speaker. Take it from me. When the time comes; if the party decides to play dirty, we would play dirty but take it to the bank, he is the next Speaker for Nigeria,” he stated pointing at a huge poster of the aspirant on the wall.

He added, “So our candidate would fight and contest. There would be no zoning. Even Alin Ndume, a seasoned senator from Borno State said there should be no zoning. He warned against it.

“If the party goes ahead, there would be huge revolt that may eventually consume the party,” he warned.

A member of the campaign of another aspirant equally revealed the plan his three-time House member has if the party decides to zone the position. He explained that, “If you look at the calibre of people wanting to be the speaker, they are all qualified and capable including my boss.

“The picture does not bode well for the party. I think what is best is to throw the contest open. Let it be a free-for-all. Whoever emerges should be accepted and work begins.
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“Because any attempt to scheme out any aspirant in favour of another zone would be met with serious consequences.

“People would protest. And with the number the oppositions have, they can produce the speaker.

“So, we have the plan and we activate it whenever the need arises .

“So, we need to be very careful,” he warned.