Principal Officers: Showdown imminent in Senate as Tinubu, APC Govs gang up against Adamu’s NWC

• Akpabio shuns party list, declares Bamidele, Umahi, Ndume Leaders, C/Whip

• Power tussle consumes Tambawal, as Wike’s camp gets Davou as Minority leader

• APC rejects NASS list

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi and Musa Adamu

The 10th Senate appears set for a showdown over the decision by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to announce a list of Principal Officers contrary to the choice of the National Working Committee (NWC) of All Progressive Congress (APC).
As Senate resumed plenary yesterday after salah break, Akpabio announced senators Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) and David Umahi (Ebonyi Central) as Senate Leader and Deputy Leader respectively, just as he announced Ali Ndume (Borno South) and Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as both Chief Whip and Deputy Whip.
Those announced by Akpabio were allegedly anointed by President Ahmed Bola Tínubu for their respective positions, of which the APC leadership said it was not consulted before the decision.
This appears to be against the tradition in the parliament, as the party had always nominated those to occupy the above key positions in the parliament, hence the anger in the ruling party.
Our correspondent gathered that Adamu and members of his NWC, before yesterday’s plenary, had allegedly prepared and sent to the Senate, a list of their preferred candidates to occupy those principal positions, but the Senate President allegedly supplanted it with another.
This has further aggravated the distrust arising from the emergence of senators Akpabio and Barau Jubril as both Senate President and Deputy during the June 13th election, which did not go down well with the party.
Recall that before the election of presiding officers of the Senate, APC was said to have surreptitiously backed former governors of Zamfara State, Abdul-Azeez Yari and senator Sani Musa as both Senate President and Deputy, while President Tínubu preferred Akpabio and Barau, who eventually emerged victorious.
In a related development yesterday, the Forum of APC Governors, led by Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, obviously siding with the President, said the governors of the party were solidly behind the leadership of the Senate and the list of Principal Officers announced.
Speaking with journàlists after a meeting with the APC chairman, Abdullahi Adamu and members of his NWC at the party’s National Secretariat, Uzodinma said those announced by Akpabio and his counterpart in the House of Representatives are APC members and should be backed by the party.
According to him, “We congratulated ourselves on the way and manner the leadership of the National Assembly was conducted. We have a Senate President who we are very confident will do well, the Deputy Senate President, who we are confident will do well, the Speaker and his deputy.
“Chairman never said that they are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they are members of our party, they are members of our party and they enjoy our support.
“If there is any way that there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make it up and we have our internal mechanism of resolving such things. The National Assembly leadership enjoys the support of Progressives Governors Forum and that of our party. We don’t have any problem at all.”
However, addressing the APC Governors during their meeting yesterday, Adamu said the party is not in support of the list is principal officers announced by Senate President Akpabio, adding that they are not aware of where they got their list.
Adamu said “You will get an update of the National Assembly election in the National Assembly sharing of powers particularly the leadership of the chambers. The election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The election of the speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined and announced and their responsibilities.
“The remaining offices will be determined by the two chambers, is yet to be done. I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his Deputy. The following day, which was Sunday, I received the visit by the Speaker and his Deputy Speaker coming to me for Sallah’s homage.
“But, I am just hearing a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.
“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing, which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions. So whatever announcement is done either the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this Secretariat.
“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus, and for quite a time, there has been no caucus in place. The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC. And we will be discussing that with you as governors, you know your states more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.
“We will hear your advice and then see how we can ensure that we comply with the provisions of the constitution of the party. We hope that we will be receiving some reports from the Progressive Governors Forum, NGF, Chairman, or his representative, to get to know about your feelings and what is going on.
“And what is your thinking on what to do to improve the chances of the party and therefore reduce the problems and bickering that we have been hearing from time to time? Along with the caucus, the National Advisory Council will give you the list that has been prepared and make sure that every state is represented. And we will give you the knowledge of it and advice”, Adamu said.
Meanwhile, in the minority leadership contest, power tussle in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between the immediate past Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambawal and the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, over who emerges the Minority Leader, eventually consumed the former House of Representatives Speaker, as Wike’s camp produced Simon Davou (Plateau North) as the Minority Leader, and Oyewumi Kamorudeen Olarere (PDP Osun West) as Deputy Minority Leader.
Others are: Darlington Nwokeocha (LP, Abia Central), who emerged as Minority Whip, while Rufai Hanga (NNPP Kano Central), emerged as the Deputy Minority Whip.
Recall that Wike and Tambawal, after falling apart during the PDP presidential primaries, have been at daggers-drawn, as the once political allies, turned foes.