Zoning: APC dancing on the ceiling

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, and so, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC now seem to be learning in the days leading to their assumption of leadership of the country.By Emmanuel Aziken, Political EditorThe party which is set to take over the reins of government at the federal level later this month, and then the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly next month, is now battling to fit its new crown on the head.After a series of meetings, party leaders are yet to resolve the thorny issue of the leadership of the NationalAssembly, causing party leaders who only few weeks ago were clinking glasses after their election victory to resort to back-biting and acrimony.Indeed, normally friendly party sources have been on edge as they have sought to assuage inquisitive journalists pressing them on the dithering over the issue.“It is better we take our time on the issue than be rushed into a mistake,” one party source confided last Wednesday.Party spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who has also been at his wits’ end in managing the situation was forced to issue a statement last week debunking assumptions that the leadership of the party had resolvedissues around the zoning of offices.Zoning ofofficesAPC National Leader Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu,President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and National Chairman of APC Chief John Oyegun. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.He had said: “In the true tradition of the APC, all issues of public interest will be handled transparently and conveyed to Nigerians through the usual communication channels.“No appointments have been made and no offices have been zoned. The main concern of our party at the moment is to ensure a smooth transition and to hit the ground running, in the overall interest of the long-suffering people of Nigeria.“At the appropriate time, Nigerians will be informed of the appointments made and the offices zoned.”The statement was in the wake of reports following a meeting of national leaders of the party called to consider the formula reportedly adopted by the National Working Committee, NWC of the party on the zoning of the national offices.The NWC formula, according to normally authoritative sources was to the effect that the Senate President be zoned to the North-Central, Speaker of the House of Representatives to the South-West, Deputy Senate President to the North-East Senate Leader Northwest, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, South-South and the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, South-East.The meeting of the national leaders, however, did not approve the recommendation of the NWC following what multiple sources alleged as a heated debate between some of the leading lights of the party.Sources disclosed that the meeting resolved that the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to resolve the impasse by setting up a smaller committee to resolve the issue.The decision, it was learned was upon the passionate appeal of a national leader of the party from the South-West that the issue be resolved by the smaller committee as according to him, the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party would be too unwieldy to resolve such sensitive issues.As at press time yesterday, that committee was yet to meet or even be constituted. Sources in the party claim that key officials of the NWC are unhappy that the proposal of the NWC worked out under the chairmanship of the national chairman was being taken to an unrecognised organ of the party for ratification.“The NWC feels that it is wrong for the body to have sat down and worked out a proposal on the issue only for it to be dismissed or taken to another body which is not even recognised for ratification,” a source privyto the development toldVanguard.It was as such not surprising that upon the confusion that Mohammed, the party spokesman issued his statement asserting that the party was yet to reach a decision on the issue of zoning of party offices.Danjuma Goje, Bukola Saraki,Abdullahi Adamu and George AkumeIt is that development that has now thrown up all permutations into play in the consideration of zoning. Whereas until last week it was almost certain that the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives were going to the North-Central and South-West respectively, party sources now say that nothing is certain as forces anxious to push their zonal and personal political interests are now working to adjust the permutations originally put forward by the NWC.Indeed, until recently, only Senators George Akume, the Senate Minority Leader and Senator Bukola Saraki,the chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment were known to be in the race for Senate President. Both of them from the North-Central  and had been working seriously to woo support from within and outside the Senate caucus. Akume it was claimed was being seriously backed by a national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu against the formidable forces marshalled by Senator Saraki.Saraki’s hand had been strengthened by the advocacy of Gen. Buhari that zonal caucuses be allowed to produce their choices for any position allocated to them. That was to the advantage of Saraki who it was learnt had already marshalled support for his ambition from many of the states in the North-Central, especially given his support for many of the senators-elect during the campaigns.Saraki’s ascendancy has, however, been challenged by the serious lobby of the North-East caucus to produce the Senate President or Speaker of the House of Representatives.The North-East caucus of the party which already has the position of chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, it was learnt feels that it deserves more especially given its ringing endorsement of the APC and its presidential flag bearer, Buhari in the recent past.Lobbying forthe positionIt was as such not surprising that a number of leading senators-elect from the region are now seriously lobbying for the position. Among the leading figures involved in the campaign for Senate President from the region are Senators Ahmad Lawan from Yobe, Ali Ndume from Borno, Danjuma Goje from Gombe and Senator-Elect, Binta Garba from Adamawa.Of the lot, Senator Lawan’s campaign seems to be the most potent and the most threatening to the aspiration of Saraki, the most formidable candidate from the North-Central. One of the selling points his canvassers are selling is his expertise on National Assembly matters, being the oldest member of the National Assembly in the contest. Lawan was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1999 and re-elected in 2003 before moving over to the Senate in 2007.Unconfirmed sources say that Lawan’s support which was originally conceived as a project by the Yobe State caucus of the party has received the blessing of the national leader of the party, Tinubu who it was claimed had to forsake Akume for Lawan in a strategic political move that was also premised to safeguardthe aspiration of his political godson, Femi Gbajabiamila for speaker of the House of Representatives.It was a development that left many in the party in confusion for most of this week. That confusion was nothelped by the ascendancy of the popular chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on House Services, Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State for speaker of the House.Dogara’s aspiration it was gathered, has now become the most potent threat to Lawan’s aspiration for the Senate Presidency given that the two men are from the same geopolitical zone.Ascendancy of the Dogara campaign was one that was eliciting concern among some stakeholders given what some claim to be the increasing determination of his supporters to do aTambuwal;that is their determination to jettison any zoning arraignment that knocks off their man in the same way that the outgoing speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal rocked the zoning pattern of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in 2011.Dogara’s popularity, some claim is rising in a way that could reach that of Tambuwal’s in 2011.Meanwhile with the threat to the coherence of the party on the issue, there are fears that the party may be unable to stabilise the issue until another one or two weeks at the earliest.DefinitivepronouncementSources say that the NEC of the party which is to take the definitive pronouncement on the issue may not meet until another one or two weeks because a number of key leaders of the party including governors have either travelled or are planning to travel out of the country for a rest after the campaigns.It is as such not surprising that the development is now fuelling fears of the possibility of the PDP caucus which has about 49 members playing a fast one on that day.Given the past roles of the outgoing Senate President, Senator David Mark in Senate power intrigues, manyare not putting any conspiracy plot by him to foist a leadership either led by himself, another PDP senator or a renegade APC senator on the Senate. Achieving that feat is not untenable for Senator Mark given that the election of a Senate President is simply by simple majority. Removing a Senate President is even more cumbersome as it requires a two-third majority. Given that scenario, it is no wonder that APC officials are very apprehensive. It is an apprehension that the party spokesman, Mohammed had in the days of yore when the party was in the trenches against the “clueless, rudderless and incompetent” PDP. Alhaji Mohammed like many in the leadership of the APC are as such careful not to be cast in the same robes as the PDP and hence the reason party leaders are calling for caution.