As the nation looks forward to the emergence of a new leadership of the National Assembly today, there is heightened anxiety as contenders for the top seats in both chambers have stuck to their guns despite efforts to make them yield ground for the preferred candidates of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC).
LEADERSHIP reports that the ruling party had endorsed Senator Godswill Akpabio as president of the 10th Senate and Jibrin Barau as his deputy, while it has tipped Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu to emerge as Speaker and deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The presiding officers are the Senate President and the deputy Senate President in the red chamber; the Speaker and the deputy Speaker in the Green chamber.
The principal officers comprise the Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Chief Whip, Deputy Chief Whip, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.
Wase, Jaji, Onuoha Still In Speakership Race
However, barring last minute change, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas will slug it out with the immediate past Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Wase (Plateau), Hon. Sani Jaji (Zamfara) and Hon. Miriam Onuoha (Imo) in the race for the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
Abbas, the member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State is the APC-anointed candidate for the Number Four position in the country.
As the stage is now set for the election today, some prominent members of the hitherto G-7, the aspirants opposing the Kaduna lawmakers' adoption by the APC, Wase, Jaji and Onuoha, have not made their decision to discontinue the race.
This is as the arrow heads of the group, Hon. Aliyu Betara (Borno) and Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi (Plateau) had withdrawn from the race on Sunday and pledged to support Abbas.
It has been tortuous for the chairman of Lands Transport Committee in the elapsed 9th House when APC had in early May adopted him and Benjamin Kalu for coveted offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House.
That decision did not go down well with some aspirants who formed an opposition group, code named G-7, which comprised Wase, the then Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, Betara, Gagdi, Sada Soli (Katsina), Jaji and Onuoha.
The G-7 with only Doguwa absent had taken their grievances to the APC national headquarters in Abuja where they rejected the party's choice.
They had warned the APC National Working Committee and stakeholders of the party to prepare for a repeat of 2015 scenario should the party allow the endorsed candidates list to stand.
Wase told APC national leadership that for such a decision to be arrived at, there was need for serious consultations with all members, reminding 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.
"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 the emergence of 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," he said.
The members of G-7 were said to be making arrangements to adopt a consensus candidate amongst them to challenge the party's choice of Abbas, a wide crack surfaced in their ranks.
That was as the Doguwa, along two other non- G-7 aspirants, Makky Yalleman (Jigawa) and Abdulraheem Olawuyi (Kwara) stepped down for Abbas barely a week after the pilgrimage to APC headquarters.
The former Majority Leader who spoke on behalf of his two colleagues said as party men who have enjoyed the benevolence of the APC, they could not go against the party's anointed candidate for the position of speaker.
He said: "I have benefited from party arrangements, this kind of arrangement. I'm the majority leader courtesy of my party. So, it's only fair to stand beside my party's decision. Time has come for me to pay back.
"We are here individually and collectively to support Tajudeen. We are surrendering our speakership ambition. The selection process of Abass is not biased and he and Kalu are qualified to be speaker and deputy."
Another major crack occurred just 48 hours to the election: Betara, believed to be the rallying point of the G-7 and another strong member, and Gadgi stepped down for Abbas.
While Soli has not been so passionate about race, having not made public declarations like some of his colleagues, Wase, Jaji and Onuoha are from all indications going to the poll to challenge the party's anointed candidate.
To show their resolve to go ahead and contest, Wase was absent at the meeting of President Bola Tinubu with the lawmakers from all political parties while Jaji boycotted the penultimate parley with APC members-elect just like Wase.
The erstwhile Deputy Speaker, for instance, vowed to go ahead and contest for the Speaker's seat because it had been prophesied that he would become Speaker.
Wase stated this at the House's valedictory session on Wednesday after the House Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano) pleaded with other aspirants to step down for the APC consensus candidate, Abbas.
The Deputy Speaker who spoke immediately after Doguwa said as a democrat who believes in contesting, he was determined to continue with the race until the end.
"I want to appreciate my political leaders, among whom I would say is Solomon Lar, who when I was contesting in 2007, I went to him and he prophesied the number of times I will come to this Assembly and I will tell this crowd and to the world, that he said, I will come to the Assembly in the number of times and prophesied even the number of leadership that I will attain and the Deputy Speakership and he prophesied next when I return, and I believe I will be Speaker and I believe I, In sha Allah, I will be the Speaker of the Green Chambers," he insisted.
One of the leading contenders for the Speakership of the 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Sanni Jaji, has debunked media reports that he has stepped down from the race.
Jaji, in a statement by his media office on Monday, said reports suggesting his exit from the race was an attempt by his opponents to blackmail him.
The lawmaker-elect from Zamfara State stated that consultations are still ongoing with his colleagues to drum up support for his ambition.
Akpabio, Barau Backers Confident of Victory
Meanwhile, the APC has expressed unwavering confidence in the party's choice for the position, asserting that Godswill Akpabio will emerge as the next president of the Senate.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma disclosed this to State House correspondents following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday.
Governor Uzodinma, who is the chairman of the Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF), said the committee established by President Tinubu to address the controversy surrounding the forthcoming leadership race has made significant progress in collaboration with the outgoing Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.
He assured that Lawan would work towards the emergence of the party's preferred candidates. In addition, Akpabio himself expressed confidence in a cohesive 10th Senate under his leadership.
He said, "We have done so much work to the extent that God has blessed our efforts that the majority of the senators-elect are now in sync with the position of the party.
"Well, by the number of people and by the efforts we have put in place, it is our hope that tomorrow it might even be a consensus event.
"But to the glory of God we pray for that and at the same time hoping that should we go into an election, Akpabio's acceptance as at today cuts across the political party we belong to, other political parties there are also some same minds who are interested in the development and progress of Nigeria.
"It is about Nigeria and not about the individuals. And he has the track record of performance," Eyibo said.
Yesterday, the Leadership Council of The Initiatives, an agenda setting college of former and serving NASS members and a Coalition of South-South Community for United Nigeria for Justice and Equity, in a last-minute push called on senators-elect to vote for Godswill Akpabio as president of the 10th Senate and Jibrin Barau as his deputy.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Eseme Eyibo, who spoke for the group, said with Akpabio as Senate president, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would deliver on its campaign promises, adding that it will initiate many reforms that will turn around the fortunes of the country.
Eyibo said: "What is going on in the National Assembly is very democratic. It has given credence to the fact that the current administration is operating on the platform of democracy.
"When the president called the senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives-elect, it was to simply appeal to all of them and they saw reason with him.
Abbas/Kalu Support Base Swells To 290
The support base of the All Progressives Congress-endorsed candidates for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu has swollen to 290 ahead of inauguration today.
This followed the unanimous adoption of Abbas/Kalu for the presiding officers of the 10th House by all the 55 members-elect from the South-South geopolitical zone.
The adoption took place at the residence of one of the longest serving members of the House, Hon. Nicholas Mutu, (PDP, Delta) on Sunday night in Abuja.
The event was witnessed by all members of the Caucus except two, with the Caucus made up of elected legislators from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers respectively.
Addressing the Speakership candidate and his deputy at the meeting, a one of the leaders of the Caucus from the zone, Hon. Unyime Idem (Akwa/Ibom) stated that the zone had come to a point where it must key into the vision and agenda of the Abbas/Kalu ticket, vigorously promoted by the Joint Task -10th Assembly Coalition.
"I consider it a great privilege welcoming our incoming Speaker and Deputy, by the grace of God. As a coordinator of the Joint Task it gives me pleasure to announce to your Excellencies that we have 55 out 55 members of the South South Caucus who have penned their signatures in support of the joint ticket," he said.
On his part, the deputy speakership candidate, Kalu, expressed gratitude to the zonal Caucus for believing in their struggle to institutionalise a legislature anchored on the principles of equity and inclusiveness.
He said: "What we started like a mustard seed has germinated and grown to this level of acceptance and support from our brothers and sisters across the regions of the country.
"I stand here also as part of the South and I said to myself that getting the South East and South West to endorse us wasn't going to be complete for me without having the South South, and thank God the South South has completed the circle by adopting us and we are so very grateful."
In his appreciation to members of the Caucus for unanimously adopting himself and his running mate, Hon. Abbas acknowledged the pivotal role colleagues from the South South have played in bringing about the idea behind his Speakership ambition.
Northern Elders Caution Against Imposition
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has again cautioned against the imposition of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) leadership, particularly the Senate Presidency, stressing that the 109 Senators-elect be allowed to choose who leads them.
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This is even as the northern elders cautioned against using religion as a deciding factor as to who leads the 10th Senate Assembly, while noting that it had repeatedly cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to respect the rights and privileges to allow the elected members of the National Assembly to choose their leaders and as well campaign "for its preferences with sensitivity and decorum" but to no avail.
The northern elders also took a swipe at Vice President Kashim Shettima over his utterances. He was quoted to have said that "under the current dispensation, the most incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim for the Presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".
The NEF director, publicity and advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed who stated this while addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, also described the Vice President's statement as "unfortunate" adding that such utterances would have been avoided should the Senators-elect be allowed to pick the Senate president of their choice.
Baba-Ahmed, a former Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) secretary, said the attempt to impose the Senate leadership possibly made the vice president gaffe ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday.
The NEF's spokesman said, "The Northern Elders Forum has cautioned the President Tinubu administration on many occasions to respect the rights and privileges of elected members of the Legislature to choose their leaders, and to conduct its campaign for its preferences with sensitivity and decorum.
"The statement of Vice President Shettima in the context of the commitment of the administration to determine the legislature's leadership makes references to Muslim and Christian faiths in the most unbecoming and irresponsible manner imaginable.
"It deepens the worrying position of religious faith as a fault line in our politics today, and denigrates the place of an important value such as faith in the conduct of elected leaders, whether they are Muslims or Christians.
"The suggestion that poor faith and incompetence can be preferred to piety and competence when it suits political interests sends damaging signals to a nation desperate for good leadership."
He noted that the suggestion that the piety of leaders could be sacrificed for political exigencies offends a nation of Christians and Muslims who watch as leaders swear by the Qur'an and the Bible to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Baba-Ahmed added, "The Vice President has done himself, his faith and his standing a great injury with his comments, and the Forum hopes he can find appropriate opportunities to assure Nigerians that the Tinubu administration will respect sensitive values that define us as Nigerians," he added.
The Forum reiterated its advice to the Tinubu administration to respect the rights of the legislature to operate as prescribed in the constitution, and allow legislators a free hand to choose their leaders.
