Ahead of next month’s inauguration of the 10th Assembly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday announced the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godwin Akpabio, as its consensus candidate for Senate presidency.
The ruling party also confirmed that it has adopted the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Jibrin Barau, as the next Deputy Senate President.
The decision now means that the APC had zoned the Senate presidency to the South-South and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North-West.
In the Green Chamber, the seat of Speaker of the House of Representatives was zoned to a Kaduna lawmaker, Tajudeen Abbas, while Ben Kalu, a reps-elect from South-East, clinched the Deputy Speaker slot.
Rising from a three-and-a-half hour crucial meeting of the National Working Committee of the party, the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, infromed journalists that only the zoning of the two principal offices in both the Senate and House of Representatives had so far been decided.
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Morka, who was flanked by the National Women Leader of the APC, Dr Betta Edu and Deputy National Women Leader, Hajia Zainab Ibrahim, however, reassured Nigerians that the leadership of the party would continue to consult with stakeholders.
According to him, the zoning and consensus candidates were done in consultation with the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the meeting they held on Friday.
He said, ‘The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress met today (Monday) to consider reports of consultations and meetings held with the President-elect, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, other party leaders and stakeholders on zoning arrangement for 10th National Assembly leadership positions.
‘The NWC noted with respect the outcome of the meetings held between the President-elect and the leadership of the NWC. The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the party nationwide.
Africa Today News, New York reports that many legislators in the opposition parties have rejected the move by the APC.