9th June, 2015
As if the problems facing Nigeria were not enough to trouble President Muhammadu Buahri, members of his party, the All Progressives Congress have added another burden to his growing list of problems.
While Buhari was in Munich, Germany delivering his ‘wish list’ at the G7 Summit, his party was gradually self-destructing back home, washing its dirty laundry in public.
To salvage an imminent humiliation at the National Assembly over leadership positions, the crisis torn APC turned to Buhari at the 11th hour.
It would be recalled that Buhari has repeatedly stated that he would work with whoever emerges President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives but the never-ending discrepancy in the party has forced him to make a U-turn.
While the party leadership has tried to get elected members to back Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as ‘consensus’ candidates for the Senate Presidency and speakership of the House of Representatives, the lack of unity in the party was underscored by the insistence of other claimants to the thrones to contest the two seats on the floor.
The APC has tried to rally the party members to support its position, without success. And a meeting called Monday night by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was boycotted by Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, both vying for the positions of senate president and Speaker of the House, in defiance of the party.
The APC was further thrown into panic mode, with the PDP’s declaration that it would support Saraki and Dogara.
In a statement Monday night, Olisa Metuh, PDP national publicity secretary said the party has adopted Saraki and Dogara, who were former members of the PDP and asked members at the National assembly to “act accordingly.”
The PDP has 49 senators-elect in the 109-member Senate, while it has 125 members in the 360-member House of Representatives.
In contrast, the APC has 59 senators-elect following the death of Senator Ahmed Zanna on May 16, while in the 360-member House of Representatives it has 214 members-elect. The three other parties, Labour Party, Accord Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) share the balance of 10 seats.
While the APC could muster the votes to get Gbajabiamila elected in the House of Representatives as Speaker, it faces the greater danger in the Senate, where Saraki appears to be capable of staging an upset.
Hence, the APC desperation this morning, calling on President Buhari to get involved in crisis management.
Buhari who arrived Nigeria early this morning from Germany after attending the G-7 Summit will meet with all APC Senators elect and House members elect at the International Conference Center, ICC today, Tuesday morning at 9am Prompt.
A notice for the meeting signed by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, stressed the urgency of the meeting.
“The meeting is urgent and important and all APC Senators and Members elect are expected to be in attendance. All elected members are admonished to attend this meeting with Mr. President at 9am prompt”.
President Buhari is expected to formally inaugurate the National Assembly this morning and he had declared days ago, that he would be comfortable with elected leaders of the National Assembly. Now his party, wants him to eat his words, by getting involved in the process.