APC N’East caucus rejects Lawan, picks Ndume

Hehehe...The All Progressives Congress choice for the post of Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan, seems to have lost out as the North-East caucus of the party in the Senate has picked Senator Ali Ndume for the post.

But the Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District,   Olusola Adeyeye, was   unanimously endorsed by the South-West caucus as the chief whip .

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The need to have a senator from the South-South   among the principal officers of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, also threw up   Francis Alimikhena as the deputy Whip.

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Investigation by one of our correspondents on Wednesday   revealed that it was resolved at a meeting between the APC governors and Senators on Monday night that only a member from the South-South should occupy the position.

The APC national leadership had nominated the Senator representing Katsina South, Abu Ibrahim, as the deputy whip.

Before these emerged, members of the House of Representatives   from the North-Central had protested against the “purported” sharing of the principal offices in the House by the APC to the exclusion of their zone.

Adeyeye’s name was on the list of principal officers approved by the APC leadership as contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The letter was signed by the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie – Oyegun, on Tuesday.

The PUNCH gathered that no dissenting voice was recorded at the meeting of the South-West caucus when the issue was discussed on Tuesday afternoon.

It was also learnt that the Senators from the South-West, at their meeting with the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday night, agreed   to make Adeyeye their representative.

Investigations by one of our correspondents   on Wednesday revealed that 11 out of the 13 senators from the North- East voted in favour of Ndume (Borno South ) as the Senate Leader during their caucus meeting.

The party had zoned the position to the North-East but named Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), as its preferred candidate.

Also, the party’s choice for the post of Deputy Senate Leader,   George Akume, was said to have been rejected by the caucus.

The caucus members were said to have argued that since Saraki, who is from the North Central had emerged as the senate president, it would be fair and just, to allow another zone take up the position.

Consequently, the North-West caucus met on Wednesday and endorsed the candidature of Bala Ibn Na’Allah ( Kebbi South), as the deputy leader.

When contacted, Lawan dissociated himself from the election conducted by the North-East caucus. He insisted that he would align himself with the position of the APC leadership.

He said, “I am not aware of any election. The party has spoken it is now left for the Senate president to make the announcement.”

However, moves by the pro-Lawan senators to make the Senate President read the letter containing the names of   the APC choice for the Senate leadership positions were however frustrated on the floor on Wednesday by Saraki.

Senator Olugbenga Ashafa ( APC Lagos East) had at the start of plenary tried to compel the Senate President to read it.

Ashafa, who relied on   Order 15 of the Senate’s standing rule that deals with matter of breaches of personal privileges, argued that Saraki’s failure   to read the letter or give it consideration in any way within the last 24 hours,   showed that contempt of breach of privilege had been committed.

He said, “A letter that was written by the chairman of our great party, was sent here and we expected that that letter which has been received in your office, with due respect, should be read in order to see to the resolution of the party’s leadership tussle.

“Mr. President, by virtue of the privilege of being one of the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and coming from our party, I believe that that letter should have been read to the hearing of all senators here present.

“Perhaps that will be the solution to the leadership tussle in the Senate.”

But Ashafa’s request was opposed by another APC senator,   Na’Allah, through a counter-point of order.

He urged the Senate to ignore Ashafa’s request.

Na’Allah said, “I am proceeding on the same order 28 just to offer an explanation. By the popular rule of interpretation of documents that has been agreed by parties, the ordinary letters and words used must be given their effective meaning.

“With your permission, I am going to read sir: ‘There shall be a majority leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall be a senator nominated from and not by.”

He said the implications of the word ‘from’, was that Senators from the opposition party cannot produce officers to fill those positions.

Saraki, while ruling on the two-point of orders, agreed with Ibn Na’Allah.

He said, “I have listened to Senator   Ashafa and Senator Na’Alla and in going by our rules and in going by what I said earlier, I would just note what Senator Ashafa has said. I think we will leave the matter for now and in that case, I rule Ashafa out of order.”

Another frantic effort by Senator Kabiru Marafa to draw the attention of the Senate to the alleged illegal ammendment of the Senate Standing Order 2015, was also frustrated at plenary.

Marafa had argued that the ammendments to the Senate Standing Order were allegedly fraudulently done because he was not aware of any process leading to the exercise.

He urged the Senate to annul the election of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, since the document used to conduct the poll was a fraud.

His point of order was countered by Ekweremadu, who argued that the amendment to the standing order was a regular exercise.

According to him,   the version used for 1999   was different from that of 2003. Ditto for 2007 and 2011.

Saraki also ruled him out of order.

He explained that since Marafa had raised the issue on June 10 and he had ruled on it, the issue should no longer be brought to the floor.

There was also tension   in the House   when members from the North-Central faulted the APC’s sharing of the   principal offices   to the exclusion of their zone.

They were joined by their APC colleagues from the South-East, who also accused the APC leadership of being “unfair to their own zone, in spite of working tirelessly to ensure that the party had a presence in the South-East.’’

The APC reportedly zoned the position of the House Majority Leader to the South-West; the Chief Whip to the North-East; the Deputy Leader to the North-West and the Deputy Whip to the South-South.

If the proposal of the party succeeds, a former House Minority Leader,   Femi Gbajabiamila, who is from Lagos State, will become the majority leader.

The Chief Whip will likely be Mohammed Monguno from Borno State, while the   Deputy Leader will go to a member from Kano State,   Alhassan Ado-Doguwa.   Pally Iriase from Edo State is likely to be the deputy whip.

The party was said to have formally written the Speaker,   Yakubu Dogara, on its decision, but he reportedly kept sealed lips over the matter on Wednesday owing to mounting tension on the issue.

Dogara did not read any letter from the party on the floor on Wednesday as he was said not to be sure of what would be the likely reaction of aggrieved members.

It will be recalled that even the South-South that was given the position of deputy whip rejected it on Tuesday.