Barring any odd, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and ranking senator, Godswill Akpabio, may be steps away from becoming President of the Senate of the 10th Assembly.
This is because, amidst the roiling struggle and campaign over who should be Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, rose from a crucial meeting on Monday and anointed the former ‘uncommon governor’ of Akwa Ibom State as President and Hon. Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna State as the House Speaker.
The meeting of the NWC, which made the resolution on the two key offices in the National Assembly, and held at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, started at about 12:30p.m., and ended at about 3:20p.m.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the NEC meeting held on Monday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary told journalists after the meeting that the NWC reached a compromise on the zoning arrangement for the 10th National Assembly.
Morka said: “The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) met today, Monday, May 8, 2023, to consider reports of consultations and meetings held with the President-Elect, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other Party leaders and stakeholders on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership positions.
“The NWC noted with respect the outcome of the meetings held between the President-Elect and the leadership of the NWC. The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the party nationwide.
“The zoning arrangement reported to the NWC is as follows: Senate President – South-South, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Deputy Senate President – (North West), Senator Barau Jubrin (Kano). Speaker, House of Representatives (North West)-Hon. Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna); Deputy Speaker (South East), Hon. Ben Kalu (Abia).
“We urge our party leaders, members and all Nigerians to continue to work for peace and progress of our country during and beyond the current period of leadership transition.”
The zoning formula that the APC adopted for the two top offices also applies to other principal offices in both chambers of the legislature.
But not withstanding the party’s position on the zoning formula, the Senate Chief Whip and former two-term governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, reiterated his determination to continue his campaign for the top job in the Senate.
Just as a cross-section of senators-elect from different political parties rejected what they described as “external influence” in the election of presiding officers for the 10th National Assembly, Kalu reportedly wrote personal letters to members of the APC’s NWC and the 108 senators-elect, informing them of his intention to vie for senate president.
