Mallam Salihu Lukman, the All Progressives Congress’ national vice chairman for the region of the North-West, claimed on Wednesday that the party’s leadership was covertly working against the zoning system chosen for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Lukman claimed that Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the APC National Chairman, was the factional leader opposing the zoning decisions that the party’s National Working Committee had approved following appropriate consultations with President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the APC had previously chosen Tajudeen Abbas, who represents the federal constituency of Zaria in Kaduna State, and Benjamin Kalu, who represents the federal constituency of Bende in Abia, as its candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively. This decision infuriated the other candidates in the race.
The party micro-zoned the position of Deputy Senate President to the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Jibrin Barau, and the position of Senate President to the recently-retired Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
According to a previous article in The PUNCH, Adamu had warned lawmakers and Abbas’ supporters to stop referring to him as the incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Additionally, Adamu had claimed that discussions with other candidates for the position and other legislative stakeholders were still ongoing.
But Lukman claimed in a statement titled “APC and Transition Politics” that was made public in Abuja on Wednesday morning that “Senator Abdullahi Adamu is acting as a factional leader opposing the decision of the NWC, instead of acting as the National Chairman, facilitating the implementation of decisions of organs of the party.” He appears more concerned with ensuring that the 10th National Assembly adopts the 2015 model of rebellious leadership rather than working to ensure the success of the NWC decision by energising meetings of higher organs of the party to lend more legitimacy to the NWC decision.
Additionally, he bemoaned that the party and Senator Iyiola Omisore, its National Secretary, “blocked all organs of the party from meeting, except the NWC.”
In the case of the NWC, according to Lukman, it is more like giving members information that is convenient for them. The National Legal Adviser, Ahmed El-Marzuq, became adept at slant legal interpretations that are anything but legal and devoid of any logic when challenged, as was the case with the court case intended to restore constitutional order in the party.
APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka and Bala Ibrahim, the party’s Director of Publicity, were unable to be reached for comment.
Morka did not return our correspondent’s calls or messages, and Ibrahim said he was unable to comment on the matter.
