APC in dilemma over 2015 Senate, Reps leadership zoning plans

There is a growing dilemma within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the planned retention of the 2015 zoning arrangements for the positions of the Senate President, his Deputy as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Deputy.

Investigations by the Tribune Online indicated that whereas the party is willing to zone the post of Senate President to the North East, there is also the thinking within the party that the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) held by Mr Boss Mustapha from Adamawa state is as important and should not be dropped.

It was gathered that two zones in the South, South West and South East are on the line to pick the Deputy Senate President slot.

The South East so far has only two APC senators-elect including a former Governor of Abia state, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and the Governor of Imo state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Though Kalu, like Okorocha, would be elected to the Senate chamber for the first time in June, he would be classified as ranking having been elected to the House of Representatives in the Third Republic.

The South West, however, has a number of candidates either for the post of Senate President or the Deputy.

Ranking Senators from the South West include the former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Solomon Adeola, Senator Fatai Buhari, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi and Senator Ajayi Borofice. There is also Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, a member of the 7th House of Representatives who is also qualified as ranking from the lower chamber.

Sources in the party, however, stated that the leadership would call a meeting involving all elected Senators and members of the House of Representatives shortly after the governorship elections which holds on March 9.

It was learnt that the party was trying hard to escape the type of cocoon it fell into in 2015, which saw to the defeat of its adopted candidates for the post of Senate President and Speaker.

Notwithstanding the push by certain forces to retain the seat of SGF in the North East, sources said that the leadership of the APC is already disposed to zoning the Senate President’s seat to the same area.

It was understood that the leadership of the party would persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to take the post of SGF to another zone in order to avoid questions of Federal Character being raised.

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“The leadership of the party will soon meet with all elected Senators of the 9th Senate and their counterparts in the House. The meeting would enable the party to hear from the members while the party will also agree with them on the clear zoning arrangements for the top posts in the Senate and the House.

The bid this time is to make it clear enough without any form of ‘micro-zoning,’ the source said adding that the bid to micro-zone the positions in 2015 led to its failure.

It was also understood that the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives would be zoned to the South West while the Deputy Speaker would come from the North West.

So far, the aspiring lawmakers are however campaigning across the board, with some from the North West and North East seeking the number one and number two slot, while their counterparts from the South West and other zones are also doing the same.

Sources, however, said that if Buhari refuses to shift the post of SGF from the North East, the zoning arrangement would be affected and that the post of Senate President might just revert to the South West.

Though the South-South and South East are lobbying for the top job to be zoned to their areas, the calculation this far largely favour the South West if the North East chooses to retain the SGF position.

While the APC so far can boast of two Senators from the South East, the party also has three Senators- elect from the South-South, out of which two are ranking.

But the Senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives appear not to be waiting for the party before kick-starting the push for the top jobs.

While Senators include Ahmed Lawan, Ali Ndume, Danjuma Goje and Abdullahi Adamu have been linked with the Senate presidency, the House members so far linked to the number one slot in the 360-member house include the incumbent Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, House Chief Whip, Hon Ado Doguwa, House spokesman, Hon Abdurazak Namdas and Hon. Uche Onyejeocha.

A member of the House who is linked to the position said that while the discussions are ongoing among members-elect, the members would kick start the full campaign after the governorship elections.

He said that by then the party would have called a meeting of all lawmakers of the 9th Assembly to express its feeling about the zoning arrangement.

“While we are ready to listen to the party, I, however, assure you that the party must be open and considerate in its decisions not to microzone any position,” the lawmaker said.

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