The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) reportedly met with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; Senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives-elect on its platform, today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
This was disclosed by the APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, in an invitation sent to Tinubu, Shettima and the lawmakers-elect.
The elected lawmakers were already gathered at the State House Conference Centre waiting for the arrival of the President-elect.
The guests came alone and with the Certificates of Return issued to them by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after they were declared winners in the 25 February polls.
Though agenda of the meeting was not stated, a source who craved anonymity, said the meeting is connected with the leadership of the 10th National Assembly that will be inaugurated in June.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the issues of zoning of the Senate presidency, Speaker of the House of Representatives and other offices in the National Assembly, such as the Deputy President of the Senate; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives and eight principal positions in both the upper and lower chambers, is one
The source explained that APC is trying to avoid a situation that played out in 2015, where Senator Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President against the party’s wish.
Saraki, who represented Kwara Central Senatorial District in the eighth Assembly, emerged as Senate President when 51 APC senators were at the International Conference Centre waiting for a truce meeting reportedly called by the leadership of the party and President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was elected unanimously by 57 senators present at the session and sworn into office on June 9, 2015 with Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Deputy Senate President.
Meanwhile, indications have emerged that ahead of the zoning of offices of presiding officers for the National Assembly, crisis may be looming in the ruling party as calls for the immediate resignation from office by the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, heighten.
According to Leadership, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, some other re-elected lawmakers and fresh ones have arrived for the meeting. They include Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Michael Bamidele, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, Senator Adeola Olamilekan, Senator-elect Abdulaziz Yari, among others.
A group under the aegis of Civil Society Organisations of Conference of Nigeria Civil Rights Activists (CNCRA) has asked Adamu, to, as a matter of urgency, obey calls for his resignation in the interest of equity, fairness and justice, just as it said that his resignation would assuage the feelings of Christians.
The group, in a statement signed yesterday in Abuja by its convener, Pastor Ifeanyi Odili, and Secretary, Sina Akadiri, it said Adamu’s exit, as APC National Chairman, would ensure power balancing in the incoming Tinubu-led administration.
According to the group, Adamu’s resignation would also be a great opportunity for APC to assuage the feelings of Christians towards the same faith arrangement of the party in the recently concluded presidential election.
The group also hailed the National Vice Chairman, Northwest of APC, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, on his call for power balancing in the incoming APC-led government and his call for the resignation of Adamu.
Recall that Lukman had at the weekend advocated for the replacement of Adamu with a Christian, as part of measures to balance the incoming administration of Tinubu.
As the jostle for allocation of National Assembly leadership gets intense ahead of May 29 inauguration of the new government, the President-elect is being prevailed upon to support the Southeast for the Senate presidency.
Tinubu is billed to table the issue of ceding the seat to the Southeast geopolitical zone at the parley with APC leadership and lawmakers-elect today.