Lawmakers of the ruling APC are engaged in a final push for the positions of principal officers in the National Assembly, Daily Trust has learnt. The push, it was learnt, was as a result of the reported decision of the party, which was said to have chosen some legislators to occupy the positions in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The National Assembly is set to resume from its recess tomorrow. However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu said last night that the report on the APC’s decision was false and should be disregarded. It was gathered that the purported decision was already creating bad blood among the party’s members, with at least a member, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, who was picked as Deputy House Whip, said to be ready to reject the position. Although both Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila do not have direct control over who becomes what among the principal officers, it was learnt that they were working to see that all issues were resolved amicably. In the Senate, it was gathered that the position of Senate Leader was ceded to Sen Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State, ahead of Sen Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi from Niger. Sen Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo) was said to have been endorsed as the Deputy Senate Leader, with Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia) chosen as the Senate Chief Whip and Sen Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi) as Deputy Chief Whip. It was learnt that the decision did not go down well with APC senators that preferred to have some of their close associates in the leadership. But a senator said the choice of Abdullahi Adamu as Senate Leader was a good one as he is very articulate, experienced and could provide good leadership. Another senator told Daily Trust that the decision of the party was not final yet as discussions were still ongoing before a final conclusion would be reached. In the House, the APC was said to have zoned the position of House Leader to the Northwest and Kano State in particular where Aminu Suleiman Goro and Alhassan Ado Doguwa are the contenders. Other positions zoned by the party in the House are Deputy Leader, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia, Southeast), Chief Whip, Peter Akpatason (Edo, South South), and Deputy Chief Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno,Northeast). In the contest for the House Leader, it was learnt that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was using every means possible to see the emergence of Doguwa as the Leader, although both contenders are his core loyalists, with Suleiman said to be among his early supporters. Sources told our correspondent that Ganduje has personally spoken with members of the House from Kano State to endorse Doguwa, whereas the voting for the position is to be done by the over 80 APC Reps from the seven Northwest states. It was gathered that if all APC members from the Northwest would be allowed to elect the House Leader, Suleiman may emerge victorious as he enjoys the support of most of them, including those from Kano. Monguno to reject Deputy Chief Whip position gathered that Monguno, who was picked to be the Deputy Chief Whip, with Akpatason as the Chief Whip, will reject the position should the party insist on that arrangement. Some members of the party from Northeast in the House said they would not accept the position of Deputy Chief Whip being given to Monguno, who is a fifth term member. A lawmaker from the zone said in confidence that Monguno would not serve as Deputy Chief Whip to Akpatason, who is a third term lawmaker from Edo State, where APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole hails from. The Northeast lawmakers wondered why South South that has only about six APC members in the House would be favoured to take the position of Chief Whip against the Northeast, which has over 33 APC Reps.
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