PRESIDENT-ELECT, Senator Bola Tinubu, has agreed to open discussions with aspirants on his party’s platform who are aggrieved over the zoning template of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the National Assembly leadership positions.

A party source revealed to the Nigerian Tribune that all things being equal, the troubleshooting initiative at the instance of the president-elect could hold this weekend upon his return from his overseas trip.

A coalition of aggrieved aspirants for the office of Speaker, House of Representatives, under the platform of G-7, which has since dwindled to G-6, met with the APC National Working Committee (APC) last week to express their dissafection over the choice of Tajudeen Abbas representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State (North-West) and Benjamin Kalu, Bende federal constituency of Abia State (South-East), as anointed candidates for speaker and deputy speaker.

Three of the contenders for the Senate president of the 10^th National Assembly also presented a joint petition to the APC NWC.

Those who met with Senator Abdullahi Adamu and other national officers were Senators AbdulAziz Yari (North-West); Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu (South-East) and the senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa (North-Central).

The meeting with Tinubu and the aspirants would also have members of the NWC in attendance.

According to the source, Benjamin Kalu, penciled in to pair with Tajudeen Abbas for the leadership of the Green Chamber, may be traded off to placate the G-6.

Feelers from the camp of the aggrieved aspirants, however, revealed that they are adamant on an open election or an arrangement that will drop Tajudeen Abbas for the office of speaker.

Checks revealed that the president-elect is looking at a review of the template that would accommodate the North Central zone, smarting for a showdown, particularly in the party’s choice of presiding officers for the House of Representatives.

“It will be difficult to ask Senator Barau Jibrin to step down to accommodate the North Central. The chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, has the capacity to undermine Akpabio if traded off,” the party source told the Nigerian Tribune.

Meanwhile, a group of non-serving senators have again restated their endorsement of the Senators Akpabio/Jibrin ticket.

At a meeting held in Abuja, Cross Rivers State governor, Senator Ben Ayade, who is a member of the forum, appealed to the aggrieved aspirants in both chambers of the parliament to review their position and support the favoured candidates of the president-elect.

He said: “We stand with Senator Akpabio and Jibrin as leadership of the 10^th Senate. Our constitution makes provision for separation of powers. The APC isn’t imposing any group on the legislature. The leadership of this party by May 29 will be under Asiwaju. He is the president and he has made decision. The least we can do is to honour him.

“Nigeria is the leader of Africa and the world is watching us. What is going to happen in the Senate would be taken as reflection of African politics. Our people can’t afford to watch a macabre dance. We must have a seamless transition.”

Governor Ayade, however, urged his colleagues not to stop at endorsement but to also look at how to pacify the aggrieved aspirants.

Senator Barnabas Gemade also justified the zoning template as he declared that his zone, the North-Central, has been accommodated in the power distribution, having produced the national chairman of the party.

Senator Akpabio, who joined his colleagues after their closed door session, thanked them for their support.

In his opening remarks, the convener of the forum, Senator Basheer Lado, had said the former lawmakers were hopeful of a seamless election and victory with the choice of Akpabio and Jibrin.

“As we are all aware, the APC, NWC has endorsed the candidature and aspiration of Senator Akpabio as Senate President and Senator Barau Jibrin as Deputy Senate President.

“As politicians and beneficiaries of Nigeria’s Democracy, we believe that the continued consolidation of Nigeria’s political maturity can only be sustained through peace, stability, unity and progress of the constituents that make up the entire country.

“Our support for the candidature of Senator Akpabio from the South as Senate president and Senator Jibrin from the North as Deputy Senate President indeed is to strike the needed political balance, ethnicity and religious diversity of Nigeria as one indivisible nation,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)

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