ZONING: After Rafsanjani’s interview, Kalu, Yari, other aggrieved senators-elect meet APC leadership

As the Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly warms up to take off in June, All Progressives Congress (APC) senators, who are aggrieved over the party’s zoning of leadership positions in the legislative arm, met with the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) at the national headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday.

The aggrieved senators in attendance included Senators Abdulaziz Yari, Orji Kalu, Mohammed Musa, and Sadiq Umar.

The meeting was held just as Chairman Board of Trustees of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and Head of Nigerian Office of Transparency International (TI), Mallam Auwal Ibrahim Musa a.k.a. Rafsanjani, warned against dangers of executive or APC not allowing the 10th National Assembly members choose their own leaders, who will preside over the affairs of their legislature.

The APC Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore and National Women Leader, Beta Edu were also present at the meeting.

Addressing the NWC, Kalu, a Senate President aspirant, said giving every part of the country a pie makes the country beautiful. He argued that the party should not zone the leadership of the yet-to-be inaugurated National Assembly based on the number of votes each zone contributed to the victory of the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu.

According to him, a zone with low votes in the last election can turn out to give a large number of votes to the party in future elections.

Also, Yari, who presented the protest letter by the aggrieved Senators-elect to the APC chairman, urged the party to review the zoning formula reviewed days ago for the purpose of justice and equity.

The APC NWC had on Monday zoned the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

The party organ zoned the Senate President to the South-South, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Deputy Senate President to the North-West, Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano).

Others are the Speaker of the House of Representatives (North-West) – Abass Tajudeen (Kaduna), and Deputy Speaker South East – Ben Kalu (Abia).

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, said the South-South zone, which Akpabio represents, has not produced a Senate President since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

The zoning formula by the APC has fuelled protests by many high-ranking members of the party including Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State who described it as “an unworkable and skewed arrangement that reinforces injustice”.

Rafsanjani

Responding earlier on Thursday to question as to what expectations should be as members-elect of the National Assembly are carrying on with their activities for the next dispensation, civil society leader Auwal Ibrahim Musa a.k.a. Rafsanjani, who is also Executive Director of Civil Society and Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said it should not happen that the executive or the All Progressives Congress (APC) would make attempt to impose individuals as leaders of the 10th Assembly, if the purpose for which they are in politics is truly to serve Nigeria and make the country a better place for Nigerian people.

According to Rafsanjani, “It is very important in this 10th Assembly to have leadership that can be acceptable to members, leadership that also has some level of integrity and credibility, leadership that is also going to be focused and be able to do the work as required by our Constitution.

“The unfortunate development going round now is, first and this is also to tell you the terrible legacy of the anti-corruption under Muhammadu Buhari,  that people who are being investigated for monumental looting and stealing of public funds are now the ones even being pushed for leadership position.

“This is terrible in the sense that it is expected that the outgoing government should have done everything possible to make sure that, at least, those with baggage of corruption will not continue to hijack political power in the country. But, sadly, that has not happened and now APC, in its wisdom, has decided to point some individuals to occupy the leadership position in the National Assembly,” he expressed concern.

Speaking further, Mallam Auwal Musa said, “I have no problem with zoning of the position, but the APC or executive cannot decidedly impose individuals on the legislature, if we really want to have proper functioning of the legislature that will also take the interest of Nigerians, not just the interest of the executive or the interest of the APC as a party.

“So, it is absolutely necessary that once the APC has decided to do its zoning, which course is even subject to other political parties’ acceptance and agreement on the individual members support,  it is important that they allow members of the National Assembly to choose their leaders so that there will be effective leadership, there will be a leadership that is going to be acceptable to members of the National Assembly.”

But, he continued, “Once you insist and impose individuals as leaders of the legislature, then you’ve created a crisis that will make the legislature not to function, not focused because,  you have taken away their responsibility as members to elect their leaders among themselves, who should preside over the leadership of the National Assembly,” he said.

The CISLAC boss said, “It is dangerous that anybody will just come and pick up and insist and impose certain individual that already has a serious reparcaution. Because the public perception of the legislature is nothing to write home about. Already, you know how the election has gone. A lot of people have reservations and that is why we have issues in the court.

“Now, to come and have a imposed leadership in the National Assembly? That will not be good for us,” he concluded.