APC governors recommend zoning for NASS leadership, rule out Oshiomhole, Umahi

Trulers of judgment Congress of All Progressives (APC) have recommended a zoning formula for the election of the Speaker and Principal Officers of the 10th session of the National Assembly to take into account President-elect Bola Tinubu.

Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) governors recommended the zoning of the Senate President in the South-East or South-South and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the North-West or North-Central. regions

They also proposed that the positions of Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Leader of the Majority, and Deputy Leader of the Majority Leader be used as compensation for those who may be asked to drop their candidacy for the four presidential positions.

According to a statement obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, the governors took the decisions at a meeting held on April 8.

“The Electors, the Vice President and the National Working Committee of the APC must meet with the PGF and APC Caucuses of the National Assembly to discuss and adopt a zoning formula under the auspices of the National Caucus and NEC. leadership of both Houses.

“The PGF met in full session and proposes the following as a basis for examining the President-elect and the Party:

a. Senate President – South-East or South-South or North-Central

b. Vice President of the Senate – North-Central or North-West

c. Speaker of the Chamber – North-Central or North-West

d. Deputy Speaker of the House – South-East or South-South

“The party may offer other senior official positions to compensate for those who may have to withdraw from the race or resign:

a. Majority Leader

b. Deputy Majority Leader

c. Chief Whip, and

d. Vice President

“Remember to speed up your consideration and action, please,” said the notice.

The governors agreed to send the memo signed by the PGF chairman and Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, to Mr. Tinubu for “swift action”.

However, it is not clear whether the notice was sent to the president-elect who is in Europe.

APC composition in NASS

TAfter the February 25 election, the ruling APC emerged as the party with the majority in the 109-member Senate with its 57 elected senators.

However, it has not yet formed a comfortable majority in the 360-member House of Representatives, which currently has 162 elected members.

Seven other parties that are members of the 10th session of the House have about 163 members.

The number is expected to rise after by-elections held across the country on Saturday. Elections were held in 31 federal constituencies and five senatorial constituencies.

The two chambers of the National Assembly will be inaugurated in June and the presidents will be elected there.

Current zoning formula

IIn the current ninth National Assembly where APC members are the majority, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, a Muslim, is from the North-East while his deputy, Ovie Omo-Agege, a Christian, is from the South-South zone.

In the lower house, the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, a Muslim, comes from the South-West region and the deputy speaker is from the North-Central region.

Mr. Gbajabiamila is from the same area as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The chief officers of the two chambers come from different zones.

The rise of aspirants

pREMIUM TIMES notify About 10 candidates have expressed their interest in being president of the Chamber. They include Deputy Speaker Idris Wase (APC, Plateau), Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), Muktar Betara (APC, Borno), Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Tunji Olawuyi (APC, Kwara) and Abubakar Makki (APC, Jigawa). ).

They include Ben Kalu (APC, Abia), Miriam Onuoha (APC, Imo), Tajudeen Abbas (APC, Kaduna) and Aminu Jaji (APC, Zamfara).

Jibrin Barau (Kano), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Governor Dave Umahi (Ebony), Orji Kalu (Abia), Osita Izunanso (Imo), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom), Sani Musa (Niger) are vying for the Senate. Presidency

The report also analyzed how the same APC presidential ticket will affect the distribution of offices in the National Assembly.

Full recommendation of governors

AAs an action, the APC governors propose a meeting between Mr. Tinubu, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, APC governor, the National Working Committee of the party and the National Assembly to “discuss and agree on a zoning formula for the leadership of the two Houses”.

They have also suggested that other key positions such as the Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Speaker and Deputy Speaker be used as compensation that may require them to step down.

For the arrangements to work, the governors proposed that candidates from the South-West and North-East should be encouraged to run for any of the four major offices as Messrs. Tinubu and Shettima hail from both regions.

Monetization of the process

Tstate leaders indicated that some candidates for office are willing to offer $1 million for a single vote.

Specifically, they expressed concern that if the presidential candidate and the party do not provide direction, it may be too late to stop the aspirants.

“It is imperative that the President-elect and the Party step into this situation and announce an acceptable zoning formula as soon as possible. This is necessary to avoid overinvestment by candidates, which leads to haste and bitterness. New senators-elect and members-elect are offering thousands of dollars.

“In fact, it is rumored that one candidate for the Presidency of the Senate and another for the Speakership are ready to offer between $500,000 and $1 million per vote. Opposition members of the National Assembly are being judged if they are not careful with the likelihood of a 2015 situation,” the statement reads in part.

The need for strategic calculations

AAlthough the governors cautioned lawmakers against using religion to campaign for positions, they, however, agreed that the Senate President should be a Christian from South-East, South-South or North-Central Nigeria.

They have also expressed concern about the state of the APC House of Representatives due to the slight majority that the party may have

“Due to the small majorities we expect, the risk analysis of the candidates and the management of unreasonable ambitions must be done carefully by the President-Elect and the national leadership of the APC to avoid a repeat of the Saraki/Dogara debacle of 2015, even more so in the case of the House of Representatives,” they stated.

The governors also listed six factors that the party and Mr. Tinubu should consider in the zoning formula.

The factors are: “Electoral contribution to Asiwaju’s victory in February. Current number of APC governors elected/re-elected in 2023. Positive prospects for widening APC’s footprint by 2027.”

The others are as follows: “Giving priority to creating a sense of belonging in the parts of the country that are ‘excluded from the election’. Reward inclusive politics and provide adequate deterrence to exclusionary electoral behaviour.’

Analysis of the regions

TThe geopolitical zone of the South-East did not receive a favorable assessment of the heads of government.

They noted that the zone “contributed the least to Asiwaju’s victory, consistently experienced the most dismissive electoral behavior since the advent of the Fourth Republic, and yet he feels entitled to the Senate Presidency”.

They also stated that the possibility of maintaining the two states it controls in the Southeast is “somewhat doubtful”.

It is not clear why the governments expressed their fear of Ebonyi and Imo states, the two states that the APC rules in the South East. First, the party he won the governorship election, and the Imo State gubernatorial election is not until November.

Governors seem to be more inclined towards the South-South region. They stated, “The chances of the APC expanding its footprint in Edo and Bayelsa states are quite high.”

Off-cycle gubernatorial elections are held in Bayelsa in November and in Edo in 2024.

Governors ignore Oshiomhole, Umahi

Hhowever, the two aspirants for the Senate Presidency, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi and Adams Oshiomhole, senator-elect from Edo North were disqualified due to the rules on classification in the National Assembly.

“The rules of both chambers of the National Assembly require that only ranking members can run for the four elective vacancies. This provision disqualifies former governors Umahi and Oshiomhole from contesting the positions,” they stated.

In the northwest, the governors said President Muhammadu Buhari Leaving office, the region “has a sense of loss and exclusion from the top two positions and therefore feels entitled to the Presidency of the Senate.”