10th NASS Inauguration : Titanic as Defiant Yari Battles Favoured Akpabio
According to the blueprint.ng,the stage is set and the political combatants look good for a leadership battle that will herald the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly to compliment the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was able to do some mend fencing and horse-trading at the House of Representatives, same could not be achieved in the Senate where it appears a straight contest between the anointed candidate of the APC for the Senate Presidency, Senator Godswill Akpabio and former Zamfara state Governor Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, who at the time of this report, resisted every move to see him back down for the party’s favoured choice.
At the Green Chamber, the Presidency prevailed on Mukhtar Betara (Borno) and Mohammed Gagdi (Plateau) to step down for the APC’s preferred candidate for the speakership position, Tajudeen Abbas.
But all efforts to also get Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase to tow the party line did not yield the desired result as at the time of this report.
Yari
For Yari, the last man standing in the opposition to the party’s choice, it has been a consistent fight which saw him obtaining a court injunction restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) from arresting him ahead of today’s inauguration.
Further to this, the former governor, who remained deviant, stayed away from the meeting of lawmakers-elect called by President Tinubu last Thursday, a development that further showed he was not ready to abandon his ambition to head the 10th Senate.
The former House of Representatives member will, however, have to contend with the support and backing the Presidency and the governors will give Akpabio.
Akpabio in last push
In a related development, the former and serving federal lawmakers supporting Akpabio’s aspiration for Senate Presidency made final push Monday by calling on Senators-elect to vote for him during the inaugural session.
The group, under the aegis of Leadership Council of The INITIATIVES (an agenda setting college of Former and Serving NASS members), made the push at a press conference held at the FCT Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Dean of the Faculty, Hon Eseme Eyibo, said, with Akpabio as Senate President, the Tinubu administration would deliver on its campaign promises.
He said: “What is going on in the National Assembly is very democratic. It has given credence to the fact that the current administration is operating on the platform of democracy.
“When the president called the senators-elect and members of the House of Representatives-elect, it was to simply appeal to all of them and they saw reason with him.
“Out of all the people aspiring, no one will be able to stand side-by-side with Akpabio”.
Uzodinma, Makinde
Also, Imo state Governor Hope Uzodinma expressed confidence that Akpabio would scale the hurdle during the contest.
Speaking to journalists Monday after a meeting with President Tinubu at the State House Abuja, he said the committee set up by the president to resolve the controversy over the forthcoming leadership race had achieved substantial progress.
Uzodinma, who is also the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), said the move was in collaboration with the outgoing Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
He also assured that Lawan would work towards the emergence of the preferred candidates of the party.
Similarly, Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde has assured that his colleague-governors would be at the Senate Tuesday to ensure that principle of fairness, justice and equity prevails in the selection of the Senate President.
He spoke in Ibadan while speaking at a post-inauguration special thanksgiving service organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Fathers of Faith on Monday at Oritamefa Baptist Church, Ibadan.
“I will be at the National Assembly tomorrow, even though I wasn’t elected as a Senator and I have never been elected as one, I will be there with my other colleagues, we will go and ensure the principle of fairness, justice and equity prevails in the selection of the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We already have a President that is of Islamic faith, we have a Vice President that is of Islamic faith, number three is going to be the Senate President. And what we are saying across party lines, I am saying it publicly, all the governors in Nigeria came together and we said we will support the choice of the president who is a Christian from the South-South region of Nigeria.
“We are not playing religious politics, but what is fair is fair. We stood for southern presidency, we will stand for justice, we stood for fairness and we are going to stand for equity as well.”
He lauded the people of the state for electing him for another term of four years, promising not to let them down.
NEF cautions
But in the midst of all this, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has cautioned Tinubu, urging him to respect the principle of separation of powers and allow the 10th National Assembly members elect their leaders.
NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed expressed the concerns during a news briefing in response to a statement made by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
It claimed Vice President Shettima was reported to have said the most incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim as Senate President.
Condemning the VP’s statement, Baba-Ahmed said it’s unfortunate the statement came from a respected Northern Muslim with a notable political career.
“The Northern Elders Forum has cautioned President Tinubu’s administration on multiple occasions to respect the rights and privileges of elected members of the Legislature to choose their leaders and to conduct its campaign for its preferences with sensitivity and decorum.
“The Vice President’s statement, in the context of the administration’s commitment to determining the legislature’s leadership, makes references to Muslim and Christian faiths inappropriately and irresponsibly.
“The suggestion that poor faith and incompetence can be favored over piety and competence when it suits political interests sends damaging signals to a nation desperate for good leadership.
“The Vice President has done himself, and his faith a great injury with his comments, and the Forum hopes that he will find appropriate opportunities to reassure Nigerians that the Tinubu administration will respect the sensitive values that define us as Nigerians.
“The Forum once again advises the Tinubu administration to respect the rights of the legislature to operate as prescribed in the constitution and allow lawmakers a free hand to choose their leaders.
“It is the desperation to determine the leadership of the legislature that is responsible for damaging gaffes such as the one we just heard from our Vice President, and this may not be the last damage that can be caused to our democracy and national cohesion,” he stated.
Shettima replies
Clarifying his position however, Vice President Shettima said his remarks in support of the candidacy of Senator Akpabio were twisted by agents of division.
In a statement issued Monday by the Director of Information in the Office of the Vice President, Abiola Sola, the VP said his support for Akpabio was not to look down on anybody or a section of the country, but to underline the importance of diversity and justice.
“During an interactive session with senators campaigning for the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibrin to lead the 10th Senate, yesterday, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized the nation’s current political structure and made a case for the emergence of a Southern Christian and a Northern Muslim as the fairest balance to promote inclusivity at the centre.
“Senator Shettima’s statement was motivated by a profound awareness of the divisive factors within our great nation and was in harmony with the governing party’s pledge to ensure inclusivity across all regions and among all groups,” the statement said.
It further said the VP’s statement was “stripped of context and mischievously circulated as an attempt to minimize the suitability of Muslim contestants in the race for the Senate leadership.”
“The remarks have not only been taken out of context but also misinterpreted to suit an agenda that sabotages our collective bid for unity.
“What Senator Shettima advocated during the meeting was that, considering Nigeria’s President and Vice President are Muslims, it would not be ill-advised for the lawmakers to choose a non-Muslim contestant, even if against a more qualified Muslim option, in order to achieve balance.
“It is alarming that such an unambiguous plea has been unfairly misconstrued to imply that the Vice President said the most incompetent Christian candidate is superior to a Muslim candidate. One can understand why this absurd interpretation would be found distressing and hijacked by those with a malicious agenda to push,” the presidency added.
