Ahmad Lawan and Bukola Saraki
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress again on Monday failed to broker truce between its two rival groups in the Senate.
The latest peace effort was at the instance of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee.
The meeting held at Odigie-Oyegun’s private residence in Asokoro, Abuja on Monday.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, were among the APC
lawmakers who attended the meeting.
Although
the meeting was not open to journalists, it was learnt that it provided
the first real opportunity for the leaders of the two opposing groups
to meet face to face since the June 9 National Assembly leadership
elections.
The APC was thrown into a crisis
following the emergence of Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and
Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
The party had announced Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as its sole candidates for the two positions.
Saraki was earlier scheduled to meet
with the APC leadership two weeks ago but the meeting was cancelled at
the last minute at the instance of some party leaders.
However, neither Saraki nor the party’s
preferred candidate for the position of Senate President, Lawan agreed
to sheathe their sword.
The cold war between the two camps
worsened within the last two weeks with both parties insisting on
producing the remaining four principal officers in the Senate.
While Lawan’s group with the support of
some APC leaders wanted the party to choose the occupants of the
positions, the Saraki camp maintained that the principal officers must
be produced by the various zonal caucuses in the Senate.
It was gathered that Lawan’s argument
before Odigie-Oyegun on Monday, was that members of his group would be
disenfranchised if the caucuses should determine the fate of the four
officers.
Saraki on the other hand insisted that he could not afford to have his rival in such a sensitive position as Senate Leader.
The development forced the meeting to adjourn abruptly thereby worsening the growing anxiety and tension within the two camps.
As of the time of filing this report,
one of our correspondents learnt that Saraki had asked the various
caucuses to meet at 11pm on Monday to pick their representatives to fill
the four remaining principal officers’ positions.
Our correspondents further learnt that
while Senator Ali Ndume ( Borno South ) was being favoured as Senate
Leader, a former governor of Zamfara State, Ahmed Sani – Yerima, may
become the Chief Whip.
However, a member of the Saraki camp
told one of our correspondents on conditions of anonymity that a senator
from the South-West, had intensified lobby to become either the Deputy
Senate Leader or the Deputy Chief Whip.
A source said, “The senate president has
asked the various caucuses to agree on their candidates before 12
midnight and submit the list which he had said would be announced during
plenary tomorrow (Tuesday).”
A leading member of the party, who
pleaded for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, confided
in one of our correspondents that party leaders tried but failed to get
Saraki to accommodate Lawan and his supporters.
The Senate President and the Speaker of
the House of Assembly are expected to announce the composition of other
leadership positions during plenary today (Tuesday).
This is required to prepare grounds for President Muhammadu Buhari to present his list of ministerial nominees for screening.
When contacted about happenings with
respect to the crisis in the National Assembly, the National Publicity
Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, “No comment.”
Governors on the party’s platform were
expected to meet in Abuja, on Monday night but as of 9.10pm there was no
sign that the meeting will hold as inquiries revealed that the Chairman
of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha, had yet to
arrive Abuja from Owerri.
Copyright PUNCH.
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