The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has reversed itself and said it was ready to extend a hand of friendship to members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election of the leadership of the ninth legislature. The new APC position contradicted earlier statements by APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole that the APC would not work with the main opposition party. The APC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Isa-Onilu, said it was not averse to its members in the National Assembly holding consultations with members of the opposition over the election of leaders into the 9th National Assembly.
“We are inundated with reports of our members in the National Assembly holding consultations with members of the opposition over the election of leaders into the 9th National Assembly. Let me state that our party has no objection to such consultations,” the APC said, adding: that it was a normal democratic practice all over the world to stretch hands across the divides. The party also said that contrary to some media reports, “the actions of our members do not contradict the party’s position.”
The dramatic reversal came after the APC leadership failed to get support for a proposal that the mode of election of principal officers of the ninth legislature be through an open ballot process. It followed the decision of some APC lawmakers-elect to defy the party’s endorsement of Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the position of Senate president and House speaker respectively. Aware that the APC has no control over a secret ballot process, as a majority of elected lawmakers prefer the secret ballot system that was used to produce the leadership of the 8th legislature, the APC decided to make a volte face and adopted a more reconciliatory approach to woo the opposition.
“APC has comfortable majority in both chambers, therefore; we have the number to produce the leadership. “But democracy recognizes the importance of the opposition, especially when you do not have two-third which would be required at some very critical situations,” it said.
APC noted that one of the key considerations for adopting Senator Lawan as the party’s candidate for the Senate Presidency is his ability to carry everyone along, adding that the party has confidence in him not to compromise its progressive ideology.
“For us as a ruling party, we understand that a stable and peaceful National Assembly would enhance our capacity to deliver more for the people of Nigeria. So, the party is not averse to negotiation by Senator Ahmed Lawan and our other Senators-elect working to fulfil the position taken by our party. So, clearly, Senator Lawan is capable of conducting his negotiations within the prism of APC’s objectives,” the party assured. On zoning and Leadership of House of Representatives, APC said that it would soon release the zoning arrangements for the principal positions of the incoming 9th National Assembly.
To ensure that the anointed candidates emerge in the 9th Senate, some APC senators are insisting on the open ballot system and have accused their colleagues in the PDP of plotting secret ballot system to hijack the leadership of the National Assembly. A re-elected ranking senator and Chairman of South-east Senators’ Forum, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), emphasized that the APC insinuation are baseless and entirely without merit. Abaribe explained that the rules for the election of the principal officers of the ninth Senate are to be determined by the Clerk of the Senate and not any senator-elect.
“PDP senators are not electoral umpires. We do not determine the rules. Only the Clerk does so. So the allegation is baseless,” he said, adding: “The Clerk is at liberty to choose whether open or open secret ballot in electing the officers on inauguration day. Don’t forget that at that point, none of the 109 members has been sworn-in and so are all senators-elect with the Clerk fully in charge.” The standard practice, he explained, is for the Clerk to determine the best way to go about the election of presiding officers. He wondered why APC senators are afraid of their shadows “more so when they have the majority in the ninth Assembly they should be ready for any mode of electing principal officers as enunciated by the Clerk.”
He reminded his APC colleagues that international legislative best practices have now modified the election of parliamentary officers through open secret ballot. “They should remember that open secret ballot was used to produce the leadership of the 8th National Assembly. So, what is new or strange about using it in the ninth assembly? APC legislators are only crying wolf where there is none,” he said. He advised APC senators to put their house in order “and stop bothering PDP senators over mundane issues that are not worth dissipating energy on.”
The eighth Senate had adopted secret ballot system during the election of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. This had led the federal government to file charges at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, against the two principal officers over what the government described as the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, after the submission of police report to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation by the Police. Others also charged to court in a move directly targeted at docking Saraki and Ekweremadu over the manner they emerged Senate president and deputy respectively, were the immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Abubakar Maikasuwa, and the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Benedict Efeturi.
