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May 29 is almost here for the swearing-in of president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but there are so many uncertainties in terms of the zoning formula that the party will decide to adopt for the 10th national assembly.
This has sparked the speculation that there are cracks in the APC which could see a repeat of the 2015 saga in which the opposition parties had a very big say in the leadership of the National Assembly.
Recall that when president Muhammadu Buhari wanted to start his reign, the APC who got the majority of the seats in the National Assembly but could not reach a consensus on 8th assembly leadership formula which gave room for a faction in the APC to form alliance with members of the opposition parties.
The then APC faction in the national assembly produced the former governor of Kwara state, Senator Bukola Saraki as the senate president in 2015 thanks to his alliance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Based on the agreement he had with the PDP, the major opposition party produced a deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, which was an uncommon scenario in Nigeria’s political landscape.
After the 2023 general elections, the APC also produced the majority of members for the national assembly but there are reported infighting over the zones where critical stakeholders or leaders of the 10th national assembly will come from. As at last check, the party has not officially declared how leadership slots of the assembly will be allotted to the six political zones of the federation.
Based on the foregoing, reports claimed that opposition parties are trying to cash in on the perceived infighting of the APC so that they could also have a say in the formation of the leadership of the 10th assembly.
Major opposition parties have reportedly started wooing elected members of the minnow parties to push for their agenda ahead of the commencement of the 10th assembly.
This notion has reportedly caused panic among the elected APC’s national assembly members and they are desperately waiting for the party leadership to clear the air on the plan for the formation of the national assembly leadership.
“As we speak today the leadership of the APC is in a quandary over how to share the various offices at the National Assembly. Though the party has a formula for this, the snag is that many members-elect seem not to be in tune with the party,” a source told Saturday Telegraph.
Interestingly, the reported infighting among elected members of the national assembly has also extended to influential members of the party in the various zones of the country. They are pushing to have a say in who becomes senate president, deputy senate president, speaker, deputy speaker, and other key roles.
“These leaders are the ones who have made it difficult for the party to have arrived at a consensus on this issue. Many of them want the juicy slots zoned to them because of the benefits that they stand to gain from it and this is not helping the party,” the source added.
“Would only be doing what is right for the country at the Assembly,” saying it is not the business of his party to help the APC design and implement its zoning formula”, a top ranking PDP’s house of Rep member from Osun state told the Telegraph.
“We are going into the House as a caucus, we are also in talks with members-elect from other minority parties to come on board and join us to enthrone a vibrant leadership that would help check the executive in the House. Many of them are coming on board and we are happy”.
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