All Progressives Congress (APC) national caucus’ determination to forestall a repeat of the 2015 scenario when some elements defied the party’s arranged leadership structure in the 8th NASS may have yielded fruits with the emergence of the North-central/South-west pact. Patrick Andrew reports.
APC leadership alive and active
In 2015, the APC obviously basking in the euphoria of attaining the invincible following the overwhelming defeat of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) went to sleep with regard to ensuring it installed the leadership of the 8th National Assembly. Albeit, the party had proposed Senator Ahmed Lawan and representative Femi Gbajabiamila as senate president and speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively, it was rather casual about it as it failed to play the politics to its logical conclusion. Against the run of play or rather contrary to its arrangement, Senator Bukola Saraki and representative Yakubu Dogara emerged as senate president and speaker of the house.
Their emergence rankle the party, destabilised its leadership projections and inevitably distorted other pre-arranged appointments profile. Till date, the party has not recovered from the shock and disequilibrium thereof. Hard lessons this!
Little wonder the national caucus of the party and some elements in the presidency opted to act with deliberate vehemence in the quest to block all loopholes and produce a NASS leadership of the 9th NASS agreeable to their hearts.
In that light, they have been consulting with sundry aspirants mindful of their geo-political divides and its planned allocation of positions. Some sort of agreements was reached between the South-west and North-central vis-à-vis collaboration to produce the leadership of the House of Representatives in particular.
The caucus had established a workable agreement between the South-west, which it favoured to produce the next speaker, and the North-central, which is most likely to get the nod to produce the deputy speaker slot. The party, it was learnt, was conscious of the agitations and yearnings of the North-central zone which has insisted on being represented at the pinnacle of the House of Representatives’ leadership structure.
Of the leading lights aspiring for the speakership position from the North-central, including John Dyegh from Benue, Mohammed Umar Bago from Niger and Ahmed Idris Wase from Plateau, the latter (Wase) is the highest ranking among them being the deputy majority leader.
Gbajabiamila/Wase accord
The APC in narrowing down to the two zones seems guided by the fact that these have currently produced the two highest ranking members: Gbajabiamila, the majority leader and, therefore, the highest ranking member from the South-west, while Wase, the deputy majority leader, is the highest ranking member from the North-central. (Current deputy speaker Suleyman Lasun, being part of the group that jettisoned the party’s arrangement in 2015, is not in the reckoning). The pact between both geo-political zones naturally narrowed down to these ranking members in the House based on competence, experience and clout.
The APC believes having persuaded the zones to adopt a workable cordial relationship that protects party interest and is equally agreeable to the presidency, it would nip in the bud any recalcitrant attitude some that may not readily side with its decision would throw up on June 9 when the House is to be inaugurated.
It also thinks the pact would enable it to address every interest within the six geo-political zones as different positions would be equitably distributed in a manner reflective of the federal character principle. This would eliminate to reasonable extent any likelihood of grievances over lack of fairness.
What the accord offers
Besides and beyond the political dynamics thrown into the deliberations on the next level leadership structure of the 9th House, salient questions lingers on the lips of many as to the probable impact the combination of Gbajabiamila and Wase parliamentary experiences could have on functional legislature, executive relationship, initiation of bills on policies and programmes of the government with the masses in view.
Those that have closely followed developments in the country are unanimous that the new pact has great prospects of ensuring stability in the House. Primarily, no fewer than 179 members have openly lined up behind Gbajabiamila and it is expected that the pact would further galvanise the majority of members towards working for the nation.
The argument here is, while Gbajabiamila is a visionary lawyer whose passion for the greater good imbues him towards aggressive and somewhat impatient drive for excellence, Wase, and equally patriotic ranking lawmaker is however, calm, collected and measured in his steps, thereby revealing a tendency to ensure a tranquil atmosphere in the House, even in the face of a storm in the Green Chamber. Besides, both are loyal party men meaning that the tendency towards unnecessary and irritant altercations with the executive, while the business of governance suffers, will be reduced.
Dependable sources say the duo are determined to work relentlessly to assist the federal government address the lingering security hiccups in the country. A key approach they intend to adopt is close-up working relationship with major stakeholders in the security system. The essence would be to ensure weekly meetings with the leadership of the security apparatuses: deliberate, review, preview and project efforts at combating insurgence and other acts of banditry.
Much more importantly, there’s groundswell of evidence that what is uppermost in the minds of Gbajabiamila and Wase is the setting up of a vibrant Legislative Agenda that will focus majorly on three key issues: Speedily addressing the rising spate of insecurity.
Consistent with their conviction that Nigeria’s democracy can only grow if the leadership of the legislature is deliberate about churning up policies and legislations that make democracy grow and take it to the next level, the duo have repeatedly said their relationship with the party, federal government and its officials would be devoid of rancour.
Besides, tackling the steadily growing unemployment in the country, which tended to have worsened the level of poverty among citizens, thereby exacerbating the security crisis, will be another salient focus. One approach would be rejigging the dynamics to de-congest the ports, revive others, and thus open up avenues for viable operations in and around the ports. The economic impact of functional ports arising from freed funds in the possession of importers because of reduced demurrage can’t be quantified.
They are poised to address the conflict over state/local government account, a practice many have expressed no little reservations for since the governors usually dictate and in fact arm-twist the local councils and fleece them of funds needed for basic grassroots development.
The duo are, therefore, ready and willing to address the ugly trend of governors fiddling with local government funds with the sole intent of impacting rather than incapacitating the LG administration, which is the first point of contact with majority of citizens of this country.
Specifically, the proposed Legislative Agenda will outline the step-by-step efforts to be made by the relevant standing committees of the House to, for instance, oversight the defence establishment to ensure that money appropriated for addressing security matters are duly disbursed to the agencies concerned, and also properly utilised for the purposes for which they were meant.
Why it would work
In the words of APC deputy national publicity secretary, Yekini Nabena, the party has learnt its lessons and would neither fold its hands and watch some elements to distort its zoning arrangements nor gloss over attempts by some aggrieved persons to detract the party and federal government to lose focus because of selfish interests.
“The APC has learnt its lesson from the outgoing National Assembly when impostors masquerading as party men sabotaged our party and hijacked our mandate. Affliction shall not rise up the second time.
“The efforts by the Adams Oshiomhole leadership of the party are commendable in achieving a fair selection and zoning arrangement that appeals to a greater section of the party stakeholders.
“APC is the overwhelmingly majority party in the National Assembly and has a legitimate right to make its choices on the selection and zoning of principal offices. The APC family is in agreement on the party’s supremacy and the PDP and other opposition parties should focus on their minority positions”, he said.
It therefore seems given, going by the backing of the party’s national caucus, the presidency and the unanimity of the growing numbers of supporters of the Gbajabiamila and Wase pact, that the APC is up and alive to its responsibility to guide its lawmakers and direct them to act in congruent with its disposition, policy intentions and projections.
