There are several reasons to believe that the 10th National Assembly’s major positions will be chosen by consensus.
News organizations learned that the All Progressives Congress (APC), which controls both arms of the National Assembly, has started consultations to guarantee a smooth nomination process.
After a four-hour NWC meeting, the APC declared that it had decided to use persuasion to elect the 10th NASS’s principal officers by consensus.
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After the meeting, the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, told reporters that the party is seeking advice from a variety of sources, including the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, before making a decision regarding the zoning of the National Assembly leadership.
Asked if the meeting arrived at a zoning arrangement, Adamu said: “That is not what today’s meeting is all about.
“When we do the zoning meeting and we don’t just go alone as a party. Zoning is to take along the person who has the mandate of this country, the President-elect, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu. We want to take him along. He travelled after the election and he came back only last week and we have to carry him along.
“We cannot stop those who are ambitious or zoning interest, or individual interest, we cannot deny them and as long as that is there, we have to find a way, persuasively of reaching some level of consensus. That’s what we are working on. It is not a one-day affair.”
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However, it was learnt that the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, affirmed that the party was yet to decide on the zoning.
He also dismissed the insinuation that time was not on the side of the party saying “We are not wasting time. There is no timeline to do so. The zoning is something that the party does. It is a mechanism by which the party can make decisions and afford those who are interested in competing for power in the leadership of the 10th National.
“Assembly to do so with a minimum rift and rancour. To do so peacefully and seamlessly. So, there is no timeline to that. We are not in a hurry. We want to do it right.
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“The chairman just said this required very exhaustive consultation not just of the leadership of the party but also of those who are aspiring. So, that whatever the party comes up with, by way of formula will be acceptable with minimum friction. It is important that the consultation is done and it is done properly. That is what is going on right now.”
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