National Assembly leadership: Tinubu, governors dump consensus for zoning

The president-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has admonished the All Progressives Congress governors to work with the party to avoid precipitating a leadership crisis in the National Assembly.

Tinubu asked the governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and others to work with the party leadership and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the National Assembly.

The ex-Lagos State governor spoke on Thursday during a meeting with the Progressives Governors Forum members who visited him at the Defence House in Abuja, according to a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman.

The PUNCH learnt that the President-elect agreed with the suggestion of the governors that consensus candidates should not be picked. Rather the positions should be zoned.

It was gathered that the meeting was part of Tinubu’s consultations with the APC stakeholders for the planned zoning of the positions.

He had earlier met with the party’s National Working Committee members and some aspirants.

The governors were led to the meeting by the Chairman of the PGF who also doubles as the governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu.

Those in attendance included the vice president-elect, Kashim Shettima; Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (CrossRivers), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).

Others were the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe and the APC governorship candidate in Kano State, Alhaji Nasiru Gawuna.

In recent days, the contest for the president of the senate and the Speaker of the 10 National Assembly has become stiff with no fewer than 10 APC senators angling to emerge as the senate president while about 12 members-elect are contending for the speakership.

The development has put the party in a quandary with different interests demanding that the National Assembly leadership positions should be zoned to their geo-political regions.