….Aspirants theaten to go against party’s zoning arrangement
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, has pleaded with protesting aspirants for the position of Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives to give the party’s leadership more time to review their grievances and consult more with relevant stakeholders and take final decision on its zoning arrangements.
The six aggrieved aspirants, led by Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, were at the national secretariat of the ruling party to register their anger against zoning arrangement released by the party’s leadership, National Working Committee (NWC) early this week.
They said that rattled by the zoning arrangement released by the party’s leadership, they were at the secretariat to protest against the party’s decision to micro-zone the positions to certain individuals, urging them to review it.
They also warned that the party’s leadership to guide against the recurrence of the incidence that produced Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Waziri Tambuwa, threatening to sabotage the ruling party.
“As I speak to you, I want to say categorically that none of us here was approached or consulted even for a second to find our opinion and thought on what was going to be done or what has happened. First, we say on social media any plan could come up. Unfortunately, while watching television, we saw the spokesman of our party confirming that there was negotiation or consultation and that was why those lists were produced. It is unfortunate.
“This is a party that the crux is hope, is a party that have been leveraged to the country. This a party that we are expecting galvanising, us and bringing us into one entity called Nigeria to serve better.
“It’s never done anywhere. I say to him, you are misleading our leader, because the leader we know is not what you are trying to show and I am referring to the president-elect. I don’t want to believe this moment that the President-Elect is the one behind this. I don’t want to believe it.
“Why then are we having lopsided distribution? Is it because those of us from North Central are taken as slaves? Four years, is not too much let’s not destroy this party before we go into the next next election. We should build this party on the spirit and trust of equity distribution of resources. It is guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria.
“Even though you have said is not foreclose, the attempt now and the sell out now is that this is a foreclosed matter because it is also in the social media. We do not want a repeat what has happened in the past. We should not forget about the Tambuwalisation of what happened in the House of Representatives.
“We should not forget about emergence of how Bukola Saraki became the Senate President. The party as of today do not have the majority to be that arrogant, and we should take people for granted,” he warned.
Explaining the effort they have made to broker truce, Wase said: “I want to tell this congregation sir about what I asked the Speaker in one of our meetings with him. I asked him, what is making him think that what you have done will stand the test of time?
“It’s never done anywhere. I say to him, you are misleading our leader, because the leader we know is not what you are trying to show and I am referring to the president-elect. I don’t want to believe this moment that the President-Elect is the one behind this. I don’t want to believe it.
“Why then are we having lopsided distribution? Is it because those of us from North Central are taken as slaves? Four years, is not too much let’s not destroy this party before we go into the next next election. We should build this party on the spirit and trust of equity distribution of resources. It is guaranteed by the Constitution of Nigeria.
Responding to the complaints from the protesting aspirants that equally threatened the party, the party’s chairman promised to review the decision the NWC took and make more consultations.
“If I know something I know it better from your various presentations. As leaders of the party, you are part of people that elected us; we cannot but listen to you, we cannot but try to understand you, we cannot but try to live to the article of faith to our great party. We have listened to you, we don’t intend to open discussions right now with you as in respect of your submissions.
“Untill we agree we are going to change if we don’t agree we would not change. Like some of you who listened to a release from this office we did say very clearly, that we would endeavour to do more consultations so that we can carry along with us the greater number of the members of the great party.
“There is nothing we can do that may not be challenged here and there, but let us be able to attend the best possible to consult with people giving them their right of fair hearing before we can say yes we are changing positions or we are not changing positions. So, I want to thank you for coming. And you didn’t come with this kind “wuruwuru underground” but you choosed to come very openly, very straight broad daylight and I do hope this is a party and the stakeholding is more than the NWC here.
“Nigerians will hear better what we have just said. I plead with you in good conscience to give us a little time to take a good and better look at your presentation and open our ears and our eyes the more to hear more and see more before we can come with finality of your submission and the outcome of it. I thank you for your approach.
“Approximately important, you should know this is a party, you organise and you are here and you didn’t follow the backdoor to talk to us; you have come straight to us. I on behalf of my colleagues we appreciate you I want to assure you that God in his infinite mercy will guide us to ensure that we do what is acceptable for all,” he said.