9th National Assembly: PDP backs Ndume, Bago as APC insists on Lawan, Gbajabiamila

The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress
on Monday ordered all the party’s members-elect in the National
Assembly to vote Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as
Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives,
respectively during the inauguration of the 9th federal legislature
on Tuesday (today).

The NWC gave the directive after a meeting with the APC
governors and its members-elect in the National Assembly in Abuja
on Monday.

This is as the Peoples Democratic party directed its
members-elect to vote the former Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume,
and Umar Bago both of the APC, as the 9th National Assembly’s
Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives,
respectively.

The APC NWC’s meeting also endorsed Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and
Idris Wase as Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker,
respectively.

Ndume from Borno State, who had also declared for the Senate
President, was absent from the APC meeting.

Among the contestants also absent from the APC meeting were
Senator Francis Alimikhena, Kabiru Gaya and a former Abia State
governor, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, the APC
National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said, “We have all agreed as a
caucus to endorse senator Lawan for Senate President and Senator
Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate President.

“We have also agreed to endorse Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila as
the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Wase as deputy
speaker. These four are the APC nominees for the respective
positions. The governors and members-elect were unanimous in
adopting this position.”

He thanked other aspirants for agreeing to step down despite
being qualified to contest the positions in order to preserve the
unity of the APC and the interest of the country at large.

Specifically, Oshiomhole thanked Senator Danjuma Goje from Gombe
State for stepping down for Lawan and Senator Francis Alimikhena
for assuring him to support Omo-Agege.

He also thanked Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo State), Olusegun
Odebunmi and Nkiruika Onyejeocha among others for agreeing to step
down for the party’s candidates.

Oshiomhole noted that those that stepped down were eminently
qualified to contest the positions.

“They offered to step down as a mark of honour for the President
and leadership of the party. They are all unanimous to back these
candidates as the APC candidates for the good of the country,” he
said.

Oshiomhole commended Lawan and Gbajabiamila for travelling the
length and breadth of the country to woo members of the opposition
in order to build bipartisan cooperation, which he noted, had been
helpful to their course.

“I believe together we will work to take Nigeria to the next
level,” he said.

Oshiomhole urged Ndume to respect the party’s position, which he
said, was the position of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added, “For now we are still trying to talk to Senator Ali
Ndume but I believe he is a democrat; he understands that it is
important to listen to the voice of the majority and accept the
decision of the majority. It is all about sacrifice.

“For those who have agreed to step down, they did so because
they realise at a point in time, only one person will lead.

“I believe that my friend, Ndume, will not be a lone ranger; he
will respect the party and the President who is the leader of the
party. I do not have any fear that he will respect the decision of
the party.”

Earlier, the NWC had urged all aspirants for the presiding
officers of the 9th National Assembly to step down and support the
anointed candidates of the party.

The party made the declaration at the end of its NWC emergency
meetings held over Saturday and Sunday.

Recall that The PUNCH had reported exclusively on May 10 that
Omo-Agege and Wase had been picked as the party’s candidates for
the two positions.

It was reported that the party had set machinery in motion to
ensure the emergence of the two men.

A statement issued in the early hours of Monday by the APC
National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, restated that the
duo of Lawan and Gbajabiamila were the party’s candidates for the
positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of
Representatives, respectively.

Ndume from Borno and Umar Bago representing Chanchanga
constituency of Niger State in the House of Representatives on the
APC platform among other aspirants had declared for the
positions.

But the party said it arrived at the conclusion following wide
consultations with President Buhari and party stakeholders,
including the APC governors.

“All elected APC members of the Senate and House of
Representatives are hereby directed to fully mobilise as a united
force behind the party’s choices.

“Members who have earlier signified interests in these positions
are urged to support the party’s decisions as loyal and committed
members of the APC by working with other members to ensure the
emergence of the adopted candidates,” the statement said.

PDP backs Ndume for Senate Presidency, Bago as
speaker

But rising from a meeting the members of the National Working
Committee of the PDP had with its lawmakers-elect in Abuja on
Monday night, the party said it would support Ndume to become the
President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly.

In the same vein, the main opposition party is also giving tacit
support to the ambition of Umar Bago to lead the House of
Representatives as its speaker.

The meeting was presided over by the National Chairman of the
PDP, Prince Uche Secondus.

Sources at the meeting told one of our correspondents that the
attendees engaged in serious calculations on whether their
preferred candidates could defeat those lined up for the job by the
ruling APC.

The APC had adopted both Lawan and Gbajabiamila for the
positions of Senate President of the Senate and Speaker of the
House of Representatives, respectively.

However, the national leadership of the PDP was said to have
told the lawmakers-elect that the party must play the role of
opposition in both chambers.

Though it was argued that while the meeting was ongoing, some
lawmakers-elect from the party were at the press briefing where
Gbajabiamila was endorsed, the party believed that mere attendance
of the meeting might not necessarily translate into votes for the
Lagos State lawmaker.

A source, who was at the meeting, told one of our correspondents
that there were signs that some members of the ruling party in both
houses would also work against the party’s candidates.

The source said the APC lawmakers were merely carrying on and
appearing as if they were in tandem with the dictates of the
national leadership of their party.

He said, “We have done our calculations very well. We have also
spoken with a lot of lawmakers and we have come to the conclusion
that we should not just be part of the crowd that the APC is
forcing on Nigerians.

“We have spoken with our lawmakers-elect and even some members
from the APC in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
We have interacted with the candidates running for different
positions in both chambers.

“We know that the legislature must be independent and also be
free to elect their leaders. We must not be seen to be controlling
this special arm of government from outside. The legislature
remains the beacon of Nigeria’s democracy.”

When contacted, Secondus confirmed the position taken by the
party.

He said, “As the opposition political party, we must be seen to
play responsible opposition role.Yes, none of the two presiding
officers we are rooting for belong to the PDP, but we know that as
a critical member of the National Assembly, we must have a say in
the election of its leaders. This is the reason why we are backing
both Ndume and Bago.”

Culled from Punch

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