The governing All Progressives Congress, APC, is treading on a familiar path again. The principal officers and leaders of the party have a way of disagreeing openly over issues that show whose interests are being served.
The recent open disagreement between the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and the leadership of the National Assembly over the appointment of principal officers among federal lawmakers is coming at a time when new guards are coming onboard the new administration.
Just like President Muhammadu Buhari surrounded himself with key appointees from the Congress of Progressive Change, CPC, wing of the APC headed by former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the current President Bola Tinubu is giving key appointments to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, faction of the APC. For example, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila and National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and many of the Special Advisers, so far, are originally ACN people.
In addition, the recruitment of loyalists within the party, still divided along factions of the party, has become imperative for the President and his men who had to literally fight his way through planned intra-party roadblocks to the presidency.
For a party that has got used to walking that path, these appointments may not seem odd. But when President Tinubu went ahead to openly voice his choice for the leadership of the National Assembly, the party quickly stepped in and managed to reached a consensus with him and a zoning formula was devised to ratify the choice, thus avoiding another round of conflict, which had burnt slowly over the heap of previous disagreements over the composition of the membership of the Presidential Campaign Council, PCC.
A source told THEWILL that some members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party learnt with disbelief that Tinubu had sanctioned the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly without their input. “They felt relegated and the party looked empty,” said a source. And Adamu, who sources say felt the need to assert the party’s supremacy, decided to openly challenge the decision, judging from his past interaction with Tinubu.
The existing tradition, with regard to the election of principal officers of the National Assembly after the emergence of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, is that the caucus of the party at the NASS selects the officers and seeks the approval of the NWC, composed of elected administrative executives of the party and the National Executive Committee comprising the President, Vice President, all elected state governors on the platform of the party and the leadership of both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
Adamu was said to have been peeved by the development when he got wind of it during the preceding weekend, courtesy visit of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Apkabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass and their deputies.
“I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his deputy. The following day, which was Sunday, I received a visit from the Speaker and his deputy coming to me for Sallah’s homage,” a visibly angry Adamu told members of the hurriedly called meeting of the NEC, including state governors.
“But I am just hearing rumours now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party or the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of the remaining offices and until we formally resolve and communicate to them in writing which is the normal practice as had been done before we came here, it is not our intention to break away from tradition.
“So, whatever announcement is done either by the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat.”
Although some of the governors present at the meeting were said to have called for understanding and better management of such matters henceforth and others reportedly confronted Adamu for being too direct in his approach, there is a feeling in the party that the National Chairman has declared ‘war’ with the President.
But that war may be short-lived. For one, President Tinubu is said to be ready to reconcile those he considered ‘party loyalist’ and relegate those considered opposed to his intention to maintain a tight grip on the party. Once again, there are unsettled pre-election issues that are still lingering in the background.
As a member of the routed cabal that stood against him and his ambition before the presidential convention of the party, Tinubu is said to be favourably disposed to seeing Adamu’s back as the National Chairman. As reported by THEWILL last week, former Governor of Plateau State and Director-General of the PCC, Simon Lalong, looks good to be the preferred National Chairman in the event of a convention.
Aware of the stakes at play, Lalong who had been leading a faction of the party in Plateau, last Thursday held a meeting with the faction led by ex-Governor Joshua Dariye and other party stakeholders. The need to present a united front in the face of many appointments yet to be made by the President had become necessary for Tinubu’s campaign DG.
What is happening should not surprise anyone. If his own party leaders were prepared to sabotage his emergence as president, Tinubu should not be blamed for wanting to have his men and trusted aides and loyal party men and women to work with, said a dependable source.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, refused to pick his call when contacted.
Amos Esele is the Acting Editor of THEWILL Newspaper. He has over two decades of experience on the job.
