All Progressives Congress

A make or mar meeting

between opposing factions of

All Progressives Congress

members in the House of

Representatives, ended early

Tuesday with the two sides

adopting an earlier directive

from the APC leadership on

the zoning of key leadership

positions.

The party had zoned the

positions in a letter to the

speaker, Yakubu Dogara, on

June 23.

In the letter, the party

presented Femi Gbajabiamila

(South-West) as the house

leader; Ado Doguwa (North-

West) as deputy leader;

Mohammed Monguno (North-

East) as chief whip; and Pally

Iriase (South South) as deputy

chief whip.

The letter from the APC was

in response to the lingering

leadership crisis that has

rocked the house since its

inauguration June 9.

Mr. Dogara rejected the

nominations, and suggested

other candidates for the

offices.

But at Monday’s meeting, at

the behest of President

Muhammadu Buhari, the

Dogara faction and the APC

leadership agreed the letter

from the party be respected,

several sources told

PREMIUM TIMES.

However, the names

nominated by the party will

no longer stand, both sides

agreed, lawmakers who

attended the meeting said.

Instead, each zonal caucus

will conduct elections to

decide the winners of the

slots based on the zoning

formular conveyed in the

party’s letter.

The agreement has

broadened the chances of Mr.

Gbajabiamila emerging the

majority leader, a key

demand that has been at the

centre of the nearly two-

month old crisis.

The adopted formular zoned

House Leader position to the

South West; Deputy House

Leader – North West; Chief

Whip – North East; Deputy

House Whip – South South.

The zonal caucus elections are expected

between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The house crisis started after the

speaker, Yakubu Dogara, emerged

speaker in defiance of the APC

leadership’s decision to anoint Mr.

Gbajabiamila for the position.

The party later adjusted its demand and

nominated Mr. Gbajabiamila as the

majority leader, a proposal Mr. Dogara

again rejected. The speaker said Mr.

Gbajabiamila’s south west region had

produced the deputy speaker, Yusuf

Lasun.

In his response, Mr. Dogara nominated

members who supported Mr.

Gbajabiamila as majority leader and

chief whip, proposals rejected by Mr.

Gbajabiamila, a former minority leader.

Mr. Buhari told the lawmakers on

Monday that the dispute had

emboldened the opposition, and warned

that it was unacceptable for the PDP to

be allowed to dictate who occupies

positions in an APC administration he

heads, a member who attended the

meeting told PREMIUM TIMES.

The president is expected to be briefed

today on the outcome of the meeting.

However, a source from Mr. Dogara’s

camp disputed the agreement reached at

the meeting.

The source said the party settled for the

group’s nomination of Alhassan Doguwa

as the majority leader, Pally Iriase as

chief whip, Umar Jibrin as deputy leader

and Chike Okafor as deputy whip.

Our correspondent says the claim by the

Dogara camp may portend fresh dispute

as the house reconvenes today.

The Gbajabiamila camp, meanwhile, has

warned that any contrary decision on

the floor of the house, different from

what was agreed at the meeting, will be

“strange” and considered an “affront

against our collective interest including

that of the President”.

APC welcomes Gbajabiamila’s

choice as House leader; indifferent

on Saraki, Ekweremadu