YARI, TAMBUWAL LOSE OUT

Akani Alaka

Intrigues and permutations over the leadership of the 10th National Assembly can be said to have ended on Tuesday with the announcement of the principal officers for the Senate and the House of Representatives.
However, the shocks and surprises about some of the names announced by the Senate President Godswill Akapabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abba will certainly occupy the attention of analysts for some time to come.  The Senate President and the Speaker said the presiding officers, 16 in all, emerged by consensus, meaning they were the choice of the parties.

Some analysts who spoke to The Nigerian Xpress after the announcement noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has further consolidated his hold on the National Assembly with the emergence of his key allies among the principal officers.

Wins For Tinubu/APC

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, is not just a disciple of the President who was one of the leaders of his campaign, but a member of his cabinet as the governor of Lagos. This was even though Bamidele is a native of Ekiti State.

In the same vein, the new Deputy Senate Leader, David Umahi has since he withdrew from the APC primary last year grown close to the President. He also voluntarily withdrew from the race for the Senate president in favour of Tinubu and APC-backed Akpabio just before the election for the presiding officers of the National Assembly.

Indeed, he had taken up the responsibility of canvassing support for Akpabio while also preaching the gospel of why Tinubu’s and APC’s choice for the position of the presiding officers should be supported.
The surprise emergence of Umahi who is not a ranking senator, therefore, can be seen as a reward for his loyalty to the party and the president.

It was also another effort at the inclusion of the South-east in terms of zoning of political offices, said an analyst.

Ali Ndume was in the race for the Senate leader against Bamidele. But his eventual emergence as the Chief Whip is considered a masterstroke which helped the APC to avoid the crisis and tension that many have predicted for the party in the jostling for the position of the presiding officers.

Also, the emergence of Senator Lola Ashiru from Kwara State as Deputy Chief Whip meets the demand of the North Central for inclusion in the leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

Yari, Kalu Left In the Cold  

Just like Umahi, Ndume and Bamidele were also in the camp of Akpabio during the campaign for the Senate president and their emergence was seen as a consolidation of the grip of the camp on the Senate. However, left in the cold are Senator Abdulaziz Yari who contested against Akpabio and his key supporters like Orji Uzor Kalu who failed to return as Senate minority whip.

Tambuwal, Atiku lost out

Even, in the battle for the minority leaders, the APC and Tinubu succeeded in keeping Senators Aminu Tambuwal, Abdul Ningi and Adamu Aliero, who were believed to be in the camp of the candidate of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar out of the leadership loop of the red chamber. This was with the unexpected emergence of Senator Simon Davou Mwadkwon, representing Plateau North Senatorial District, as the Minority Leader.

Tambuwal and Ningi thus lost out to Mwadkwon who was not named among the front runners for the position of the Senate minority leader before yesterday.

Akpabio while announcing the minority leadership positions said he was not just the choice of the PDP, but of members of the Senate Minority Caucus of the Senate made up of seven political parties.

In the same vein, Senator Lere Oyewumi (PDP, Osun West)  was elected as the Deputy Minority Leader while Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central) emerged as the Minority Whip.

A senator elected on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP Rufai Hanga was named the  Deputy Minority Whip.

Wike Acolyte Emerges    

Also, in the House of Representatives Julius Ihonvbere (APC – Edo) and Halims Abdullahi (APC – Kogi) emerged as the Majority House Leader and Deputy Majority House Leader respectively.

The two men also campaigned and supported the emergence of Abbas as the Speaker of the House. Ihonvbere has served as Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Project Monitoring, Secretary to the Edo State Government, and Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education.
In the same vein, Bello Kumo (APC – Gombe), and Adewunmi Onanuga (APC – Ogun) also emerged as the majority Chief Whip and Deputy Majority Chief Whip respectively.

However, it was a celebration for Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers State as his ally and acolyte, Kingsley Chinda emerged as the Minority Leader.

The emergence of Chinda was seen as a reward for Wike for the support he has given the APC in the battle for the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Also, Aliya Madaki (NNPP) was announced as the Deputy Minority Leader, Ali Isah (PDP) the Minority Whip and George Ebizimawo (Labour Party) the Deputy Minority Whip respectively.

Disowned? 

However, the question was will the announcement made by the Speaker and the Senate President stand?

This question followed the information that the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee NWC disowned the majority leadership positions announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas. Adamu was said to have told the governors elected on the platform of the party that APC had not officially communicated its choice for the principal officers to the presiding officers.

The PDP,  the party with the second highest number of senators and thus, expected to produce the Senate leader had written Akpabio on Monday, indicating that it was yet to make up its mind on whom among its members in the red chamber it would back for the position.
However, sources told this newspaper that it would be very difficult for both parties to undo what was done on Tuesday.