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| Ahmad Lawan, Ali Ndume |
It seems that the APC choice for the post of Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, have lost out as the North-East caucus of the party in the Senate has picked Senator Ali Ndume for the post.
But the Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Olusola Adeyeye, was unanimously endorsed by the South-West caucus as the chief whip .
The need to have a senator from the South-South among the principal officers of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, also threw up Francis Alimikhena as the deputy Whip.
Investigation by one of our correspondents on Wednesday revealed that it was resolved at a meeting between the APC governors and Senators on Monday night that only a member from the South-South should occupy the position.
The APC national leadership had nominated the Senator representing Katsina South, Abu Ibrahim, as the deputy whip.
Before these emerged, members of the House of Representatives from the North-Central had protested against the “purported” sharing of the principal offices in the House by the APC to the exclusion of their zone.
Adeyeye’s name was on the list of principal officers approved by the APC leadership as contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
The letter was signed by the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie – Oyegun, on Tuesday.
The PUNCH gathered that no dissenting voice was recorded at the meeting of the South-West caucus when the issue was discussed on Tuesday afternoon.
It was also learnt that the Senators from the South-West, at their meeting with the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday night, agreed to make Adeyeye their representative.
Investigations by one of our correspondents on Wednesday revealed that 11 out of the 13 senators from the North- East voted in favour of Ndume (Borno South ) as the Senate Leader during their caucus meeting.
The party had zoned the position to the North-East but named Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), as its preferred candidate.
Also, the party’s choice for the post of Deputy Senate Leader, George Akume, was said to have been rejected by the caucus.
The caucus members were said to have argued that since Saraki, who is from the North Central had emerged as the senate president, it would be fair and just, to allow another zone take up the position.
Consequently, the North-West caucus met on Wednesday and endorsed the candidature of Bala Ibn Na’Allah ( Kebbi South), as the deputy leader.
When contacted, Lawan dissociated himself from the election conducted by the North-East caucus. He insisted that he would align himself with the position of the APC leadership.
He said, “I am not aware of any election. The party has spoken it is now left for the Senate president to make the announcement.”
However, moves by the pro-Lawan senators to make the Senate President read the letter containing the names of the APC choice for the Senate leadership positions were however frustrated on the floor on Wednesday by Saraki.
Senator Olugbenga Ashafa ( APC Lagos East) had at the start of plenary tried to compel the Senate President to read it.
Ashafa, who relied on Order 15 of the Senate’s standing rule that deals with matter of breaches of personal privileges, argued that Saraki’s failure to read the letter or give it consideration in any way within the last 24 hours, showed that contempt of breach of privilege had been committed.
He said, “A letter that was written by the chairman of our great party, was sent here and we expected that that letter which has been received in your office, with due respect, should be read in order to see to the resolution of the party’s leadership tussle.
“Mr. President, by virtue of the privilege of being one of the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and coming from our party, I believe that that letter should have been read to the hearing of all senators here present.
“Perhaps that will be the solution to the leadership tussle in the Senate.”
But Ashafa’s request was opposed by another APC senator, Na’Allah, through a counter-point of order.
He urged the Senate to ignore Ashafa’s request.
Na’Allah said, “I am proceeding on the same order 28 just to offer an explanation. By the popular rule of interpretation of documents that has been agreed by parties, the ordinary letters and words used must be given their effective meaning.
“With your permission, I am going to read sir: ‘There shall be a majority leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall be a senator nominated from and not by.”
He said the implications of the word ‘from’, was that Senators from the opposition party cannot produce officers to fill those positions.
Saraki, while ruling on the two-point of orders, agreed with Ibn Na’Allah.
He said, “I have listened to Senator Ashafa and Senator Na’Alla and in going by our rules and in going by what I said earlier, I would just note what Senator Ashafa has said. I think we will leave the matter for now and in that case, I rule Ashafa out of order.”
Another frantic effort by Senator Kabiru Marafa to draw the attention of the Senate to the alleged illegal ammendment of the Senate Standing Order 2015, was also frustrated at plenary.
Marafa had argued that the ammendments to the Senate Standing Order were allegedly fraudulently done because he was not aware of any process leading to the exercise.
He urged the Senate to annul the election of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, since the document used to conduct the poll was a fraud.
His point of order was countered by Ekweremadu, who argued that the amendment to the standing order was a regular exercise.
According to him, the version used for 1999 was different from that of 2003. Ditto for 2007 and 2011.
Saraki also ruled him out of order.
He explained that since Marafa had raised the issue on June 10 and he had ruled on it, the issue should no longer be brought to the floor.
There was also tension in the House when members from the North-Central faulted the APC’s sharing of the principal offices to the exclusion of their zone.
They were joined by their APC colleagues from the South-East, who also accused the APC leadership of being “unfair to their own zone, in spite of working tirelessly to ensure that the party had a presence in the South-East.’’
The APC reportedly zoned the position of the House Majority Leader to the South-West; the Chief Whip to the North-East; the Deputy Leader to the North-West and the Deputy Whip to the South-South.
If the proposal of the party succeeds, a former House Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is from Lagos State, will become the majority leader.
The Chief Whip will likely be Mohammed Monguno from Borno State, while the Deputy Leader will go to a member from Kano State, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa. Pally Iriase from Edo State is likely to be the deputy whip.
The party was said to have formally written the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on its decision, but he reportedly kept sealed lips over the matter on Wednesday owing to mounting tension on the issue.
Dogara did not read any letter from the party on the floor on Wednesday as he was said not to be sure of what would be the likely reaction of aggrieved members.
It will be recalled that even the South-South that was given the position of deputy whip rejected it on Tuesday.
The PUNCH obtained a copy of the letter on Wednesday.
It was dated June 6 and had reference number, APC /NHDQ/NAM/015/06.
The letter read in part, “Please, find below for your necessary action, the names of principal officers approved by the party after extensive consultations, for the 8th House of Representatives.’’
Reacting to the development on Wednesday, the North-Central Caucus said it rejected the sharing of the positions by the APC without considering the “fact that the zone has over 50 members in the House.”
The caucus also faulted the “claim” of the APC that it consulted with all zonal caucuses before it arrived at the sharing formula.
“We, therefore, strongly reject the purported selection by the party, which we see as being in conflict with the principle of Federal Character as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution,” the Leader of the caucus, Ahmad Pattegi, told a news conference at the National Assembly, Abuja.
He added, “The caucus believes strongly that there should be fairness and equity in the selection of other principal positions of the House, following the emergence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
“We believe it will be inconsiderate of the party to consider both the North-East and South-West after both zones have produced the speaker and deputy speaker respectively.
“We have resolved to pursue this injustice vial all civil and legitimate channels.”
The tone of the South-East caucus, which has two members in the House, was not different as it expressed disappointment over the sharing of the positions without giving any to the zone.
The Leader of the caucus, Chukwukere Ikechukwu, called on the APC ‘s leadership to reverse its decisions.
“We reject in its entirety, the distribution of the positions and we call on the party to reverse it. We condemn it in its entirety, “ he stated.
Earlier on the floor, Dogara had fought hard to prevent an exchange of hot words between Gbajabiamila and the former House Deputy Leader, Leo Ogor, from degenerating.
Ogor, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker, and Gbajabiamila had always been against each other at the 7th Assembly.
But, the animosity between the two had worsened since June 9 when Ogor openly supported Dogara to become the Speaker in an election which Gbajabiamila lost by eight votes.
On Wednesday, the two quarrelled over the rules on procedure for amending motions on the floor.
A motion on attacks on farmers by herdsmen was being debated when a member, Musa Serkin Ada, moved for an amendment.
But, Ogor raised a point of order to argue that the rules of the House did not provide for the body of a motion to be amended.
Dogara agreed with Ogor and ruled on the issue as concluded.
However, as the speaker made to call the next item on the Order Paper, Gbajabiamila objected and raised a point of order to re-open the matter on which Dogara had already decided.
The Lagos lawyer quoted Order 8 (32) to point out that “any part of a motion” could be amended, contrary to the earlier ruling in favour of Ogor.
“We are setting a precedent in this House, which I think we have to be properly guided”, he argued.
As Gbajabiamila spoke, Ogor sprang up from his seat to complain that it was “in breach” of proceedings for him to attempt to re-open a matter decided by the Speaker.
“We should all try as much as possible to respect ourselves and the rules of this House. The speaker has ruled on this issue; our rules say you can only bring up such an issue via a substantive motion,” he said.
“He is a third timer (won election to the House for three times) and he should know that what he is doing is not right”, Ogor shouted, pointing his finger at Gbajabiamila.
The former minority leader too responded that he knew why Ogor was agitated.
“I understand your worries; I do,” he added.
Dogara intervened to stop the two from further exchanging words, but he still ruled in favour of Ogor.
The PUNCH obtained a copy of the letter the APC’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, wrote to Dogara on Tuesday, conveying the decision of the party on the sharing of the offices to him.
The letter, dated June 6, had reference number, APC /NHDQ/NAM/015/06. It was duly received and signed by the speaker’s office.
It read in part, “Please, find below for your necessary action, the names of principal officers approved by the party after extensive consultations, for the 8th House of Representatives.’’
The document named Gbajabiamila as the majority leader; Ado-Doguwa as his deputy; Monguno as the chief whip; and Iriase as the deputy.
Buhari’s meeting with Dogara fails to hold
A meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, did not hold on Wednesday as earlier scheduled.
According to the itinerary of the President seen by one of our correspondents on Tuesday, Dogara was billed to meet with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
The meeting slated for 10am would have afforded the speaker the opportunity of having a face-to face interaction with the President for the first time.
Journalists who rushed to the Presidential Villa in anticipation of Dogara’s arrival were visibly discouraged when he did not show up.
As of the time of filing this report at about 7.35pm, the Speaker had yet to arrive the Villa and no reason was given for the development.
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