As controversy intensifies over the micro-zoning of principal offices of the National Assembly, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, has admitted error in the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC).
He made the confession a day after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and others including seven Speakership candidate riled against the arrangement.
During a visit at the national secretariat to present a petition to the party’s leadership, yesterday, Senate Chief Whip and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who led some contestants for the office of Senate president, including former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Sani Musa, described the zoning arrangement as undemocratic, warning that the party was setting a stage for members to revolt at the floor of the chambers on June 13 when the National Assembly would be inaugurated and voting to elect officers conducted.
But the party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, pleaded with the aspirants to hold their fire and allow the party leadership undertake more consultations.
“We’re happy to receive you and hear you express your displeasure for what we have done. As chairman of the APC and members of the NWC, we take responsibility. As chairman, I take responsibility for what has gone on air. I take absolute responsibility for that. And in that spirit, I welcome you to this office on behalf of my colleagues.
“On Wednesday, we received members of the lower chamber who are also contesting for the Speakership in the lower chamber and we had similar pronouncements – words of disagreement from them. What we will not do today from what we have received from you is to start to open any discussion with you at this sitting as to how what you heard got to be what you heard.
“Yes, there was no sufficient or adequate consultations with you that are contesting and it is a simple principle of democracy that you get views and opinions. But, the circumstances that we found ourselves in after the elections frustrated our desire,” he admitted.
Reacting further, the former governor of Nasarawa State said: “We will go back to the drawing board. We owe our party that duty to take a look whether what was done cannot be changed; what was done needs some changes or reviews. We will take a look at what necessary compelled us to do by the grace of God.
“Hold the fire until the last word is heard from us. We are the custodians of the party as NWC but we are not acting alone. The voice of the President-elect is an essential voice. We must accommodate him, the best we can. I will not compromise on that.
we can have peace in the country built on tripods like Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. You should ignore the excuses about number of votes.” he said. In his reaction, Yari, said that the decision was capable of empowering the opposition party to upset the ruling party.
He warned the party not to underrate the capacity of the North in turning around whatever decision it had taken, insisting that the incoming government was still the government of the North.
On his part, Senator Musa, said: “Whenever we see anything that is not right, it is only fair if we are good followers to bring it to the table and when they said the national chairman is inviting us for this, I agreed. I am standing here in my own corner as a distinguished senator, who is also aspiring and also, I am here to speak in respect of my distinguished colleagues, Senators-elect from the north central geopolitical zone of this country.
“When I made my declaration, I said, looking at the secularity of this country and looking at the permutations when we took risk (same faith ticket) and we were successful. There are certain times we should not push our luck. I said, we have competent distinguished Senators-elect from anywhere. That is because we have a Muslim president. We have a Muslim vice president and we thought that at least the third person should be a Christian.
“As we are going, I had expected that the party will look at those who are very few. I think four or five of us declared interest. And I thought in the wisdom of the party, they will invite just those five of us which they can manage. If you can manage us like this after a decision has been proposed, decision have been reached, it would have been easier if you sat with us before that proposed decision was issued and said there can only be one leader and we are first among equals. But the party didn’t do that.
“The NWC had a meeting with Mr. President-elect. I respect Mr. President-elect, he is a tactical politician. He knows it. He knows every inch of it. He will be able to listen to whatever an organ like APC will bring to him. Whatever anyone will tell him, he will want to aggregate his own views,” he said.
Credit Text, excluding headline: Daily Sun.
