24th June, 2015
The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has written a letter to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, telling them that the party has approved its principal officers for the 8th National Assembly.
“Please find below for your necessary action names of principal officers approved by the party, after excessive consultations for the 8th Senate as follows: Senator Ahmed Lawan (Majority Leader)–North-East; Prof. Sola Adeyeye (Chief Whip)–South-West; Sen. George Akume (Deputy Majority Leader)—North-Central; and Sen. Abu Ibrahim(Deputy Chief Whip)—North-West,” the letter to Saraki from Oyegun read.
To Dogara he wrote: “Please find below for your necessary action names of principal officers approved by the party after extensive consultations for the eighth House of Representatives as follows: Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (House Leader) South-West; Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa(Deputy House Leader)—North-West; Hon. M. T. Monguno(Chief Whip)—North-East; and Hon. Pally Iriase (Deputy Chief Whip)—South-South. This comes with the assurances of my highest regards.”
Whether the duo of Saraki and Dogara will honour the letter from the Oyegun is yet to be ascertained, as they both flaunted party orders to contest for the leadership of the Senate and House of Reps respectively.
It would be recalled that the APC held a mock election where Lawan and Gbajabiamila both emerged as the party’s candidate in the Senate and House of Reps but instead of them contesting unopposed on the party’s platform, they were challenged by Saraki and Dogara, who emerged winners.
Reacting to the appointment of principal officers in the national assembly, Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC-Katsina South), said the senators had no power to zone the leadership positions to any region.
“As far as I am concerned, this was never done, I was a principal officer in the last senate, the party gave our names and that’s how I became a principal officer,” he said.