Buhari meeting with APC reps ends in deadlock

TROUBLE is not yet over for the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the meeting called on Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve its leadership crisis in the House of Representatives ended in a deadlock.

Yakubu Dogara

The APC House members, led by the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, met with the President for about 20 minutes at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, but were unable to reach a common ground as factions loyal to the Speaker and former Minority Leader of the House, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, gave contrary opinions on what transpired at the meeting.

Gbajabiamila narrowly lost his bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives to Dogara despite being the favoured for the post by the leadership of the party.

His bid to become the Leader of the House is also being resisted by the House leadership which was reported to have zoned the position to the North West and effectively knocking out the Lagos lawmaker.

The House leadership has, however, conceded the position to a member of the Gbajabiamila group who must be from the North West in order to maintain the Federal Character principle in the appointment of principal officers of the House but this had not gone done well with Gbajabiamila’s loyalists.

President Buhari had therefore convened Monday’s meeting to find a way out of the logjam.

Also in the meeting were the Deputy a Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yusuf Lasun; APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and some members of his National Working Committee (NWC) including National Secretary, Ibrahim Gubi; National Deputy Chairman South, Chief Segun Oni and National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Emerging from the meeting, Dogara told correspondents that the meeting was a family meeting but noted that consultations would continue intoMonday night with the hope that the leadership crisis could be resolved.

“I believe that by this night, there will be compromise. We are still talking. But I think this is the first time everybody coming together in a cordial atmosphere,” he said.

In his remarks, Chief Odigie-Oyegun said so much ground was covered in the 20-minute meeting, saying, “You will be very surprised that a lot was achieved in 20 minutes.”

He was confident that a compromised had been reached, saying, “I have a feeling in another three four hours and by tomorrow, we will have come to a compromise and have good news for the nation.”

Also speaking, Gbajabiamila described the meeting as a ‘family meeting,’ insisting that discussion would go on among the party members to resolve the lingering crisis.

“It is not about magic. This is a family that has come together and we are here to resolve the problem and we shall move ahead to resolve the issue this evening,” he said.

Buhari meeting with APC reps ends in deadlock

APC crisis: Buhari meets with Lawan group

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday night met with the Senate Unity Forum led by Senator Ahmad Lawan.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that during the meeting, which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari insisted on party supremacy and supported steps taken so far by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress on the National Assembly crisis.

Senator Ahmad Lawan

The APC, had before the National Assembly leadership election, endorsed Lawan as its sole candidate for the senate presidency, but Senator Bukola Saraki defied the party to emerge as the senate president.

The party had also on Wednesday wrote the Senate President and submitted   names of its candidates for the senate principal offices.

In the letter, it named Lawan as its choice for the majority leader; Prof. Sola Adeyeye as the chief whip; George Akume as deputy majority leader; and Abu Ibrahim as deputy chief whip.

But on Thursday Saraki read nominations by the APC zonal caucuses for the positions. The North-East caucus of the party nominated Senator Ali Ndume as the Majority Leader; while the North-West put forward, Bala Na’Allah as the deputy majority leader.

The South-South caucus adopted Francis Alimikhena as the deputy chief.

In his reply on Thursday to the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the Senate President explained why he could not abide by the party’s directive on the offices.

“Whilst one is strongly persuaded to toe the party line and act in accordance with   the suggested party position, regrettably, clear provisions of our extant rules and standard parliamentary convention have not given me that leeway to act otherwise. Therefore, my hands are tied in the circumstances and I seek your understanding in this regard,” he had said.

A senator, who was among the team that met with Buhari in company with Lawan, told one of our correspondents on conditions of anonymity, that the president assured them that he would always align with the party’s position on the issue of the National Assembly election.

The senator said, “Yes, we met with the president and it was a fruitful one, going forward. We had the assurances of Mr. President that he is fully behind the position of the APC leadership on the National Assembly election.

“We are currently on recess but I am sure that when we resume, Nigerians will begin to see the effect of the meeting. I won’t say more than that. “

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the plan was for the President to meet as many of the various groups that had emerged in the National Assembly.

A top member of the party, who confided in SUNDAY PUNCH, said, “Yes. The President met with Senator Lawan and some APC senators. The plan is for him to also meet House of Representatives members from the party too.”

APC crisis: Buhari meets with Lawan group

Lawan accuses Saraki groups of plotting to make Buhari"s administration fail

The crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress took a new turn on Sunday with the Senator Ahmad Lawan group in the Senate accusing the Bukola Saraki group of plotting to make President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration fail.

Senator Ahmad Lawan

“The election of a Peoples Democratic Party senator as deputy senate president is evidently a grand conspiracy to sabotage the Buhari government,” spokesperson for the pro – Lawan group, Senator Kabiru Marafa, said in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja.

Marafa argued that the inauguration of the 8th Senate and subsequent election of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, with 57 senators in attendance was an indication that the perpetrators of the act actively involved the management of the federal parliament.

While the APC had endorsed Lawan as its candidate for the senate presidency, Saraki defied the party and manoeuvred his way to clinch the post.

The senate president had teamed up with senators of his former party, the PDP, to assume power in an alliance that saw Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP becoming the deputy senate president.

Ekweremadu had defeated Ali Ndume of the APC by 54 votes to 22 votes.

Lawan loyalists in the Senate, under the Senate Unity Forum, said on Sunday that the election of Ekweremadu was a grand conspiracy to sabotage Buhari’s administration through the legislature. The Saraki supporters style themselves Like Minds Senators.

Both Lawan and Saraki groups had on Friday disagreed on how the principal officers of the Senate should be chosen.

While the Lawan group aligned with the position of the APC leaders that the party should choose the officers, the Saraki group insisted that the Senate officers should be picked at zonal levels.

The spokesman for the Lawan group also demanded the prosecution of the National Assembly Management for allegedly contributing to the plot.

Marafa said, “We are convinced that there is a general conspiracy in this country to sabotage the APC government, particularly the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. For God sake, why should Senator Bukola Saraki be declared as senate president with 57 votes while 51 other senators were disenfranchised.

“The management of the National Assembly knew that 109 Senators were being expected on the day of inauguration. Why did they not wait for the others to arrive before rushing to conduct election?”

Marafa argued that no opposition senator made any attempt to seek election into the majority position when the PDP had the majority in the senate in 2011, asking, “Why should somebody do it now? Is it because Muhammadu Buhari from the North is the President?”

Bukola Saraki

He added, “People are asking why we did not go to court to challenge Ekweremadu’s election. Why should we bother ourselves to go to court when there is already a grand conspiracy to frustrate all our moves?

“The conspirators had hijacked the media and are using them to complicate issues even in the court of public opinion. Why should we go to court?

“The Senate standing rule that was reviewed overnight is another pointer to the fact that the inauguration of the Senate on June 9 and the election of Saraki/Ekweremadu was part of the planned conspiracy.

“That is a criminal conspiracy. Our standing rules were changed. Who changed them? Why were they changed? For what purpose and who ordered the change? Who brought ballot boxes inside the chamber on June 9?

“Those who brought in the ballot boxes were obviously privy to the grand conspiracy. The rule of division was adopted in 2011 when David Mark contested election. People’s names were being called and each person would stand up and say who they want to vote for.

“But on June 9, boxes were brought into the chamber. Who brought them? Who changed our rule? President Buhari should prosecute the perpetrators of the criminal act because that was corruption”

However, a member of the Like Minds Senators, Rafiu Ibrahim,on Sunday denied allegations of conspiracy against the government of President Buhari with the election of Ekweremadu.

He said, “We (Pro- Saraki group) campaigned across the party lines because some APC senators already had their candidate.

“However, when members of the Senate Unity Forum were not around in the chamber to vote, the PDP seized the opportunity to contest and Ekweremadu, being a two-term senate president, used his goodwill among the senators to score 54 votes across the APC and the PDP.

“There was no case of conspiracy; there was no form of pact. In fact members of the Senate Unity Forum should be held responsible for the emergence of Ekweremadu as deputy senate president.

“If they had not absconded on the day of inauguration, an APC senator would have emerged just like what happened in the House of Representatives.

“It is not correct to say that the election of Ekweremadu was part of a design to make President Buhari’s administration to fail. Rather, the Saraki leadership in the Senate would ensure the success of President Buhari’s programmes and policies and he had started work on it already.”

Meanwhile, there were insinuations on Sunday that Buhari was angry with Saraki over Ekweremadu’s emergence as his deputy.

“Buhari has not spoken with Saraki since the incident happened on June 9 and he had rebuffed all attempts to contact him. Don’t forget that the senate president also had issues with the Vice – President, Yemi Osinbajo, for using a derogatory language on him”

But Ibrahim denied the insinuations, which he described it as a rumour.

He said, “It is not correct to say that the President was avoiding Saraki. The senate president flew to Ilorin on Friday with the presidential jet. If Buhari is angry with him, will he release the jet in the Presidential fleet?

“There is no crisis between the President and the senate president. As a matter of fact, Senator Saraki has since settled down and has started working.”

In the House of Representatives, there were indications that the former Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, will keep the same post in the House.

The APC is insisting that Gbajabiamila, the party’s choice for the House speakership but who lost to Yakubu Dogara, should be made the Majority Leader, The PUNCH learnt in Abuja.

The House will resume sitting on Tuesday (tomorrow) after members took a two-week recess after inauguration on June 9.

The party also reportedly gave the South-South the position of Deputy House Leader.

Findings indicated that the national leadership of the party took the decisions at its meeting held in Abuja last week.

Checks by our correspondents revealed that a move by the APC to anoint Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader of the House a few days after he lost the speakership contest was opposed by North-West lawmakers.

The zone had already positioned a lawmaker from Kano State, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, for the position.

“Besides the opposition from the North-West members, there was also the feeling within the Dogara camp that having Gbajabiamia as the Majority Leader could place the speaker under much pressure.

“But, we have gone beyond that stage now. The party has taken a decision that Gbajabiamila should be the majority leader. It has also been decided that Mr. Pally Iriase should be the deputy House leader,” a National Assembly official told one of our correspondents on Sunday.

Iriase, an APC lawmaker from Edo State, had also made a bid for the speakership, but later dropped out of the race to support Gbajabiamila.

A second source claimed that it was Ado-Doguwa and not Iriase that the party agreed to be Gbajabiamila’s deputy.

“That is exactly what the party is proposing (Gbajabiamila/Ado-Doguwa); all things being equal.

“I guess by Thursday, Friday this week, everything would have been spelt out,” the second source stated.

However, the National Working Committee of the APC has been scheduled to meet in Abuja on Monday (today) to, among others, deliberate on peace proposals aimed at bringing an end to the crisis rocking the party.

Lawan accuses Saraki groups of plotting to make Buhari"s administration fail

Pro-Saraki senators reject Lawan, Akume as Senate leaders

The current crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, worsened on Saturday when senators loyal to Senate President, Bukola Saraki, vowed to resist alleged moves by the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and other party chieftains to impose Senators Ahmad Lawan and George Akume as the Senate leader and deputy, respectively.

Senator Ahmad Lawan

Senators Ahmed Sani-Yerima and Danjuma Goje, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, specifically declared that the plans by the leadership of the APC to fill the remaining four principal-officer positions with ranking members of the Senate Unity Forum was totally unacceptable.

The Senators Unity Forum consists of loyalists of Lawan, who lost the Senate Presidency bid to Saraki.

The remaining leadership positions yet to be filled in the senate include, Senate Leader; Deputy Senate Leader; Senate Chief Whip; and Deputy Chief Whip.

Our correspondent learnt that the APC leadership had allegedly been perfecting an arrangement which would see Lawan emerging as the Senate leader and Senator George Akume as his deputy.

The pro-Lawan group, which has the backing of Tinubu, was also said to have picked Professor Olusola Adeyeye (Osun) as the Senate Chief Whip, while Senator Abu Ibrahim from Katsina State would be his deputy.

But Senator Sani-Yerima, a former Senate Deputy Minority Leader, and Goje, a former governor of Gombe State, insisted that the pro-Saraki Like Minds senators would resist imposition of principal officers on the chamber.

Sani-Yerima maintained that the election of the four principal officers was the exclusive right of the zonal caucuses in the Senate.

He said the move by the APC leadership was illegal, adding that “there can never be imposition of candidates on the chamber by the party leadership”

He said, “As far as I’m concerned, the party cannot impose leadership on us. It is unconstitutional and against the rules of the Senate.

“The Senate Majority Leader; Deputy Majority Leader; Senate Chief Whip; Deputy Chief Whip were elected by their zonal caucuses in the Seventh Senate and the case of the Eighth Senate cannot be different.

“The best thing the party can do, given the circumstances, is to give us directives. Any attempt to impose will be resisted and this will further divide the party.”

He also, insisted that the party must follow due process, stressing that the Senate Presidency of Senator Bukola Saraki was committed to protecting the interests of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said, “We should follow due process. Allowing the party to impose a leadership on the Senate President is to make him to fail because he cannot be forced to work with his rivals.

“We are committed to giving President Buhari protection in the Senate. What we are doing is definitely not against the President.”

On his part, Goje warned the party against imposition of candidates, adding that such a move would likely further polarise the party.

He said, “By trying to impose another set of leaders on the National Assembly is to cause further crisis in the party. It will complicate matters and generate further crisis in the National Assembly.”

Spokesperson for the pro-Lawan senators, Kabir Marafa, described the argument of the pro-Saraki senators as incorrect and argued that the choice of other principal officers who are not elected on the floor of the Senate remained the sole business of the party leadership.

He said, “It is not possible for the executive of the party at the zonal levels to determine who will be made the Senate Leader, the Deputy Senate Leader, Chief Whip, and the Deputy Chief Whip. It has never happened and it won’t happen this time around.

“The party executive must determine all the occupants of the four principal offices. The party will write the Senate President. That is the tradition. It cannot be done at the zonal level. We must follow due process.”

Pro-Saraki senators reject Lawan, Akume as Senate leaders