Nigeria: 10th Assembly - Prepare for 2015 Scenario If Zoning Arrangement Stands, Aspirants Warn

Aspirants for the position of the Speaker House of Representatives as well as members-elect in the 10th Assembly have warned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and stakeholders of the party to prepare for a repeat of 2015 scenario should the party allow the released zoning formula to stand.

Recall that in 2015, Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as the President of the Senate, while Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged as the Speaker against the Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila preferred by the party.

The contestants for House of Representatives Speaker and members-elect, led by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Idris Wase, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, Hon. Muktar Betara, Hon. Ahmed Jaha, Hon. Femi Bamishile, Hon. Abubakar Nakraba, Hon. Mariam Onuaha, Hon. Sani Jaji, Hon. Sada Soli and Hon. Mariam Onuoha held a meeting with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, and other members lof NWC on Wednesday in Abuja

Speaking, Wase said for such a decision to be arrived at, there was need for serious consultations with all members.

He reminded the party that it does not have the majority in the House, hence, the need to have everyone to agree with such a zoning template.

Wase recalled that the leadership of the party summoned lawmakers-elect to a meeting after the presidential election, where the aspirants were encouraged to slow down their campaigns till after the governorship election.

The Deputy Speaker said while they awaited another meeting with the leaders of the party on the zoning arrangement for the leadership positions, it never came to fruition.

His words: "What was on social media, again, was the zoning and the micro zoning to particular individuals. As I speak to you sir, I want to say categorically that none of us here was approached or consulted even for a second to find our opinion and thoughts on what was going to be done or what had happened."

Wase described the decision of the party not to consult them as unfortunate.

According to him, "that is the crux of matter and we feel betrayed by that action. We feel as if our contributions are not recognized, we feel as if we are not members of this family. We feel that we have given our best but now the best is no longer needed."

Wase noted that he told Gbajabiamila that he misled the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, in the choice of the Speaker, stressing that Tinubu was not behind the choice of Tijani Abass.

He stated: "We are here to protest and to appeal to you to go again to look into this matter. That what had been ushered out will not stand. And we are disciplined party people.

"I want to say too in 2019, Your Excellency, I was going in for speakership. I was pretty sure I was going to win. Leaders of the party called me including the president and appealed to me to step down for Hon. Femi. I did that and that was how I came in to take the position of the deputy speaker. I want to say that what has happened, I think that they are taking us for granted.

"We do not want a repeat of what has happened in the past. We should not forget about the "Tambuwalisation" of what happened in the House of Representatives. We should not forget about how Saraki became the senate president. The party as of today we do not have the majority to be that arrogant, and we should take people for granted," Wase warned.

On his part, Betara said there was no time two presiding positions were zoned to the same zone.

His words: "We are not against our leaders, but if we should sit down and say sit amongst yourselves and pick somebody you think you can work with, it is easy. But the person, the speaker (Gbajabiamila) is trying to even pick, there are some of our colleagues that don't know him. That's the truth, I am not lying. If today the party said we zone to the North-west, I have to sit and think because now the party is zoning the deputy senate president and the speaker to the same zone.

"We have been in this Assembly, there is no time, two presiding officers are zoned to one area. It has never happened. And in our discussion here, on our inauguration day, it's what happened in the Senate that will determine what is going to happen in the House.

"So, we need to sit down and look at it. We might produce the Senate President from a different zone. It happened in 2015. So as a party, we are pleading, we need to sit again with all of us and do more consultations."

Betara also denied the allegation that he was involved in anti-party activities.

He said: "Another thing I need to clear here sir, somebody told me that the same group are saying, I gave money to a presidential aspirant. So if there is any transfer to anybody, the banks are there. I want to still tell you as leaders if I should give money to a presidential aspirant and he wins, what is he going to give me. My own, I want to become speaker in my party. If another party wins, can I become speaker? No. So we don't need to blackmail ourselves. Politics is about give and take.

Responding, Adamu assured the lawmakers that the party would embark on further consultations and would get back to them.

The chairman stressed that the statement issued by the party clearly stated that the party leadership would endeavour to do more consultations so that everyone would be carried along.

Adamu said: "There is nothing we do that may not be challenged here and there. But let us be able to attend the best possible consultation with people giving them their right of fair hearing before we can say yes we are changing positions or we are not changing positions.

"I plead with you in good conscience to give us a little time to take a good and better look at your presentation and open our ears and our eyes the more to hear more and see more before we can come with finality of your submission and the outcome of it. I thank you for your approach.

"Approximately important, you should know this is a party, you organise and you are here and you didn't follow the backdoor to talk to us; you have come straight to us. I, on behalf of my colleagues, we appreciate you. I want to assure you that God in his infinite mercy will guide us to ensure that we do what is acceptable for all.

"We will re-invite you in due course. After the national assembly election, we invited all Senators and House of reps-elect. And by the time of that meeting with you at Banquet Hall a number of you have started canvassing for these positions you are interested in and I remember vividly, I did advise that the meeting was not to talk about zoning.

"This is a controversial subject matter, every National Assembly regime has always been a controversy. For those who have been following the history, it is the matter of us to sit and take a look at what is going on and to be honest to ourselves, honest with the country and to our party and we hope to get to the promise land."

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has warned that any attempt to foist a National Assembly leadership on the nation would be roundly resisted.

The CNG Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, gave the warning while addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

The group, therefore, called on the leadership of the APC to reclaim its statesmanship by immediately reversing the decision on Akpabio and Abass, and setting the stage for the emergence of a credible National Assembly leadership through democratic elections by its members as enshrined in the Constitution.

It described as ridiculous, contradictory and shameful for the APC, which stoutly resisted the temptation to limit the contest for the presidential ticket to zoning and opted for democratic primaries, to now confine the democratic space for the selection of the Senate leadership.

The group added that it was unreasonable and irresponsible for the party to suggest that a set of eminent personalities carefully elected by their respective constituencies as Senators and Representatives in the federal legislature cannot democratically elect leaders for themselves.

It, therefore, called the attention of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to watch his back and guard against "entrenched Judases" who it said were bent on pitching him against democracy, against popular national will and against such regions as the North, that made massive sacrifices to keep the nation united and push it past a critical turning point by working to ensure his victory at the February presidential poll.

The group specifically cautioned the President-elect against the antics of vested personal interests like those represented by the Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna and Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano state.

It stated: "To categorically hold that any attempt to foist a National Assembly leadership on the nation by resorting to draconian, michavelian, undemocratic and unconstitutional means is downright repugnant to the collective sensibilities of Nigerians, blatant disrespect for constitutionalism, disregard for rules of fairness and ordinary decency and therefore unacceptable and would be roundly resisted."

"To warn that if this and any similar arrangements are allowed to pass through, the North as a whole would be deliberately shortchanged by stripping it of the three main democratic influences; the executive, the legislature and the Judiciary which would be absolutely unacceptable as it is unjustifiable."

The northern group encouraged all other aspirants for any position in the National Assembly to disregard this purported, undemocratic arrangement and insist on the emergence of their leadership through acceptable, constitutionally recognized democratic elections.

The group specifically called on Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari, who it said at present assumed the symbol of Northern aspiration to the Senate presidency, that he would lose respect and relevance if he submits to the temptation to quit the race for any undemocratic arrangement other than elections.

It also urged all aspirants for the position of Speaker, such as Betara, Wase, Doguwa and the rest from all sections of the country to insist on a transparent and democratic emergence of leaders of the House.

The group noted that the ruling APC has glaringly failed to learn from lessons of history by not reflecting on the events of 2015 when the party attempted the same costly adventure which ultimately failed.

10th Assembly: Prepare for 2015 Scenario If Zoning Arrangement Stands, Aspirants Warn

·We were betrayed, says Wase

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja