The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday kicked against
the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as the
President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of
Representatives respectively.
Saraki, a former Kwara State governor and Chairman of the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum, emerged unopposed shortly
after the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu
Maikasuwa, proclaimed the eighth Senate into existence.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party
trounced Ali Ndume of the ruling party to become Saraki’s
deputy.
Dogara defeated the former Minority Leader of the
House, Femi Gbajabiamila, in a keenly contested poll.
The APC had last Saturday conducted mock elections in
which Ahmed Lawan emerged as its sole candidate for the
Senate Presidency. George Akume was to run as his
deputy.
While Gbajabiamila emerged victorious in the mock poll for
the House, Mohammed Mungono was to run as the deputy
speaker.
After the Saturday exercise, the APC leadership directed all
its lawmakers interested in the positions to toe the party’s
line.
But Saraki, Dogara and Ali Ndume , with the backing of
their supporters, defied the directive by vying for the posts
on Tuesday.
But the victory of two men was described as unacceptable
by the APC. It said in a statement by its Publicity Secretary,
Lai Mohammed, that the actions of the new National
Assembly leaders and their supporters amounted to
treachery and disloyalty.
According to the APC, the inauguration and the process
which led to the emergence of Saraki and Dogara
represented the highest level of indiscipline.
The party therefore threatened to sanction the two men and
their supporters in order to clearly show its determination
“to enforce party discipline and supremacy.”
The statement read in part, “Senator Saraki and Dogara
are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its
National Assembly members-elect for the positions of
Senate President and House Speaker.
“The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear
candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, the
Deputy Senate President and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-
elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives.
“All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the
platform of the party are bound by that decision.
“The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of
its individual members.”
The APC said its leadership was meeting to reestablish
discipline and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all
those involved in the “monumental act of indiscipline and
betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles
for the new administration.”
The party also decried what it described as a situation in
which some people, based on nothing but “inordinate
ambition and lack of discipline and loyalty, will enter into an
unholy alliance with the very same people whom the party
and indeed the entire country worked hard to replace and
sell out the hard won victory of the party.”
Urging all its “loyal senators-elect” to report to the Senate
to be sworn in, it vowed to use all constitutional and legal
means to resolve the issue.
But President Muhammadu Buhari later issued a
statement in which he said he stood by his earlier position
that he would work with whoever the lawmakers elected as
their leaders.
He added in the statement by his Special Adviser (Media
and Publicity), Femi Adesina, that even though he would
have loved that “the process of electing the leaders as
initiated and concluded by the APC had been followed,” he
“took the view that a constitutional process has somewhat
occurred.”
“President Buhari had said in an earlier statement that he
did not have any preferred candidate for the Senate and the
House of Representatives, and that he was willing to work
with whoever the lawmakers elected,” Adesina said.
“That sentiment still stands. Though he would have
preferred the new leaders to have emerged through the
process established by the party,” he added.
Adesina stressed that “the stability of our constitutional
order and overall interest of the common man were
uppermost on the President’s mind, as far as the National
Assembly elections were concerned.”
The President therefore called on all the elected
representatives of the people to focus on the enormous task
of bringing enduring positive change to the lives of
Nigerians.
How Saraki emerged
The APC lawmakers had on Tuesday morning converged on
the International Conference Centre in Abuja for a meeting
in which they were to be addressed by Buhari.
The meeting which was called by the APC leadership was to
take place at about 9am while the inauguration was
scheduled to hold at 10 am.
However, as of 10.56am, the lawmakers were still waiting
for the President when news filtered in that the Senate had
been inaugurated and that Saraki had emerged unopposed
as the Senate President.
As if the victory of Saraki, a former Kwara State Governor,
was not enough, Ekweremadu ended up beating Ndume to
become the deputy Senate President.
The notice of the meeting which was circulated partly
read,“The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu
Buhari, will address all Senators and House of
Representatives-elect of the APC at 9am this morning,
Tuesday, the June 9 at the ICC Abuja. All concerned must
endeavour to attend this meeting.”
The presidential spokesman, Adesina, said the APC
leadership, not Buhari, convened the botched meeting at the
ICC, Abuja.
Mohammed also confirmed that it was the party that invited
its lawmakers to the meeting.
The APC leaders had hoped that a pep talk from the
President, who did not show up at the Tuesday morning
meeting, could save the day.
Before the statement by Mohammed, the APC leaders had
shown that they were not comfortable with the emergence
of Saraki as they all rushed into their waiting vehicles and
headed for the National Assembly complex.
On his way out of the ICC, the National Leader of the APC,
Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, told journalists that he had “no
comment or reaction.”
The party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, said,
“We just watched it (on television) but we will address you
when the whole situation has been re-examined.”
Senator Ahmed Sani had nominated Saraki for the office of
the Senate President while Dino Melaye, seconded the
nomination.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa,
declared Saraki, duly elected following the dead silence
from the members when he called for another nomination
for the post and consequently administered the oath of
office on him.
There were 57 Senators in the chamber when the election
was conducted but the number increased to 76 when the
Clerk of the National Assembly was about to superintendent
the conduct of the election of the deputy President of the
Senate.
Senator George Sekibo nominated Ekweremadu. His
nomination was seconded by Senator Olaka Nwogu.
Ekweremadu polled 54 votes to defeat Ndume, who scored
20 votes.
He (Ekweremadu) was also sworn in by Maikasuwa.
The National Assembly Clerk also honoured former Senate
President, David Mark, by personally swearing him in as a
senator of the Eighth Senate.
Saraki later swore in the remaining senators present.
Maikasuwa, in company with his deputy, Ben Effeturi, and
the Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Adedotun Durojaiye, had
entered the Senate chamber at 9.52am and announced, at
exactly 10am that he had the order of Buhari, through a
letter, to inaugurate the Eighth Senate.
Durojaiye, after Maikasuwa’s proclamation, commenced
the process of voting by reading out the names of senators-
elect and at the end of the roll call, he announced that there
were 57 of the senators in attendance.
Majority of the members of Senate Unity Forum, who were
canvassing support for the emergence of Lawan as the
Senate President, were at the ICC where the meeting with
Buhari was to hold.
In his inaugural speech, Saraki commended his colleagues
for their maturity and patriotism in electing the leadership of
the Eighth Senate.
He noted that by their action, they had demonstrated that
even though they belonged to different parties, they were
ultimately united by a common desire to entrench
democracy and allow its principle guide their conduct.
He said, “The change that our people voted for is a change
from a life of poverty, misery to a life of prosperity,
happiness, security and comfort, accountability and respect
for democracy.
“This is a change that all of us in the National Assembly
must strive to justify, Nigerian want to see a proactive
National Assembly.”
Saraki pledged that he would be guided by the enormity of
the responsibilities that the current national challenge had
imposed on everybody, while at the same time, strive to be
just, equitable and fair to all.
He commended Buhari for remaining steadfast in his
defence of the right of the National Assembly to choose its
own leaders which, according to him, had laid a solid
foundation for the stability of the National Assembly.
The Senate thereafter adjourned to Wednesday (today).
How Gbajabiamila lost
The odds were in favour of Gbajabiamila to win the poll until
the tables turned on him.
Dogara polled 182 votes out of the 358 total cast ballots to
beat the former Minority Leader in the keenly-contested
poll. Gbajabiamila scored 174 votes .
Two ballots were voided in the election which was also
conducted under the watch of the National Assembly Clerk.
Gbajabiamila congratulated the new speaker moments after
the results were announced by embracing him and shaking
hands with him.
The chamber of the House erupted in jubilation immediately
the results were declared.
The APC has 213 out of the 360 members of the House and
the calculation of the Gbajabiamila camp was that their
candidate needed a few votes from the PDP caucus and
other smaller parties to coast to a straight victory.
Investigations showed that the North-West with the highest
number of 87 APC members was Gbajabiamila’s main
support base.
The zone was backed by the South-West with 48 members
and the North-East, which has 36 members.
However, it was gathered that two major factors turned the
tables on Gbajabiamila.
Findings indicated that many of the PDP members, who
initially assured Gbajabiamila of their support, suddenly
changed their minds and filed behind Dogara.
On his part, Dogara already had the backing of the majority
of the 139 PDP members in the House. The last-minute
directive of the minority party further strengthened his PDP
support base.
“The second factor flowed from the first one; when Saraki,
who is from the North-Central, won in the Senate, some of
the APC members from the North-East and North-West
made a U-turn to support Dogara.
“They suddenly realised that the North-East would be left
with nothing substantial if they went ahead to elect
Gbajabiamila.
When the reality of Gbajabiamila’s loss dawned on his
supporters, a series of horse trading started for the position
of Deputy Speaker.
Gbajabiamila’s running mate was Monguno, who is from
the same zone as Dogara.
His supporters and many PDP members had attempted to
drag Gbajabiamila into accepting to run as Dogara’s
deputy, but he bluntly rejected the proposal.
On their part, the PDP members also attempted to advise
Dogara’s original running mate, Yusuf Lasun, to step down
for the former Deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor.
Ogor, a PDP member also fought off the pressure mounted
on him by turning down the offer.
With the horse trading failing to yield the desired results,
voting for Monguno and Lasun as contestants for the post
of deputy speaker started around 5.50pm on Tuesday.
Lasun,who hails from Osun State, scored 203 votes to
beat Monguna, who got 153 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Dogara promised to fight
corruption in government and instil discipline in the
management of public affairs.
He described his victory as a demonstration of the
members’ determination to sustain the independence of the
legislature as an arm of government.
The new speaker said, “What has been demonstrated here
today, is the resolve of members of the House to assert the
independence of the legislature as a co-equal arm of
government.
“We have shown once again that this is a House of the
Nigerian people.”
He praised Gbajabiamaila for putting up a dogged fight,
assuring him that they would both work together to heal any
divisions caused in the House by the contest.
Dogara said, “I salute the doggedness and service of
Gbajabiamila, who fought a good fight and who has served
this House and the nation with distinction.
“Together, we will heal the wounds and divisions of this
contest. Together we shall work to deliver good legislation
and good government to our people.”
Meanwhile, the immediate-past Speaker of the House,
Aminu Tambuwal, has congratulated Saraki, Ekweremadu,
Dogara and Lasun for emerging victorious.
Tambuwal, who is now the Governor of Sokoto State,
commended members of the National Assembly for the
“maturity” they displayed during the elections.
Stop whining, PDP tells APC leadership
But the PDP whose members made the emergence of
Saraki and Dogara possible, congratulated the new leaders
of the National Assembly, saying their elections
underscored the fact that no section of the country should
be neglected in national issues.
The PDP added in a statement by its National Publicity
Secretary, Olisa Metuh, that the development in both
chambers of the National Assembly was “victory for
democracy.”
It therefore urged the APC leadership to stop “whining and
accept the will of the people, respect the independence of
the legislature because it was not responsible for their (APC
leaders) naivety and crass inexperience.”
The statement read, “What is paramount to the PDP is the
sustenance of our democracy and the wellbeing of our
people, irrespective of creed, class or ethnicity.
“The PDP is therefore willing and ready to partner like-
minded individuals in other political parties and groups to
sustain our democracy, ensure good governance and
promote the unity and stability of our dear nation. Nigeria
as a nation belongs to all of us. Its interest therefore must
be put over and above personal, partisan or group interests
at all times.
“In this regard, the PDP notes with gratitude, the immense
contributions of the immediate past Senate President ‘the
Baba of the National Assembly’, Senator David Mark, for
the decency and mature manner with which he ensured the
smooth take- off of the 8th National Assembly.”
The PDP had in a statement on Tuesday morning said it
had adopted Saraki and Dogara for the position of Senate
President and Speaker respectively. It therefore urged its
National Assembly members to act accordingly by voting
the two men.
Four out of the 22 APC governors had met on Monday
night at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja to find a
means of dousing the tension generated by the contest for
the Assembly’s top posts.
The four governor were Rochas Okorocha(Imo), Nasir el-
Rufai(Kaduna), Samuel Ortom(Benue) and Abubakar Bello
(Niger).
After about 30 minutes, the four governors headed for the
Transcorp Hilton Hotel where they met with the lawmakers
from their respective states .
Also Gbajiamila held an enlarged meeting with the various
state caucuses of the party in the House at the Lagos Hall
of the hotel.
Gbajabiamila was spotted wearing a red Kwanwasiya
traditional cap apparently to sell himself to the North-West
caucus.
A former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, congratulated
the newly elected leaders of the National Assembly,
admonishing them to see their elections beyond the narrow
interests of political parties.
Abubakar noted in a press statement by his media office on
Tuesday, that with the elections, the 8th National
Assembly should begin work and put overall national
interest beyond the personal interests of its members.
