APC senators still bickering over leadership posts

The disagreement among Senators elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), continued on Tuesday following their inability to fill the remaining leadership positions in the 8th Senate.

The disagreement led to verbal outbursts among the lawmakers.

It was sparked off when senators belonging to the `Like Minds’ and `Unity Forum’ failed to reach an agreement on the procedure for the emergence of candidates for the various leadership positions.

Some of the senators in a shouting match outside the senate chambers

Those of the “Like Minds’’, who support the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, insisted that the candidates for the various positions be zoned and candidates produced at the caucus level.

The group came up with a zoning formula that gave the position of Majority Leader to the North-East; Deputy Majority Leader to North-West and the Chief Whip to South-West. The South-South had been positioned to clinch the office of the Deputy Whip.

But the “Unity Forum’’ senators, loyalists of the party, and Sen. Ahmad Lawan (APC-Yobe North), insisted that all vacant positions be filled by the national leadership of the party.

Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North), told NAN that the disagreement was caused by attempts by the Saraki-led group to impose its candidates on the party.

“The leadership of the party, which is the APC, still reigns supreme to decide the true position of leadership and we shall have it. Any attempt to do otherwise is to cause confusion.

“ We are just coming from the meeting of the leadership of the party and we are aware that the leadership of the party is doing all it can to settle the differences.

“Therefore, simply put, the cause of the rancour is an attempt by the senate leadership to again force its will on the majority of the senators of the APC’’, he said.

On his part, Sen. Ibrahim Danbaba (APC- Sokoto South), said the commotion was caused by Sen. Ahmed Lawan and other senators who got to the meeting late.

According to him, the majority of the senators at the meeting agreed on the modalities for appointing the candidates, when the Lawan-led group arrived late to kick against the arrangement.

“Close to 40 of us were around until close to the tail end of the meeting when they appeared about 3p.m. They missed most of the things that were said.’’

However, Sen. Abu Ibrahim (APC-Katsina South), said the senators had no power to zone the leadership positions to any region.

He pointed out that the procedure for allocating the offices had been the exclusive right of the ruling party, adding that it should be maintained.

“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.

He, therefore, called on the APC to “wield its big stick’’ if anybody decided to go against the directives of the party this time around.

Earlier, President of the Senate enjoined the senators to bury their hatchet and renew the spirit of love, cooperation and trust.

“I believe that no matter the issues outstanding, they are surmountable and resolvable in the atmosphere of love and understanding.

`We can and shall put the past behind us and we shall all come out of this room, individually and collectively victorious.

`There is nothing like a winner or loser. Our party, the APC is the winner and we are all conquerors,’’ he said.