•What endorsement means to aggrieved aspirants…

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Abuja

It’s finally here, the first baptism of fire for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For him, it is welcome to Nigeria, the headquarters of political intrigues of the black world.

Yes, the president-elect deserves the hospitality and salutations having arrived from his cocoons in Lagos to the fecundity of Nigeria’s broad-way geopolitical and geographical space.

Undoubtedly, Bola Tinubu’s name resonates. He is more than an institution, a master strategist, a political tactician. Tinubu is a political revolutionary, a fisher of men. He’s Mr. Fix it. He’s the lord in his political dynasty.

But then, just one turbulence at the national scene and he appears to be losing grip before jetting out to Europe for “business meeting”. Of course, this is not unusual. But then, tongues are wagging that it’s foolhardy to be nowhere to be found when your house is on fire. The combustibles could escalate into conflagration before you return. Yes, the lord of Lagos may have been hailed because of his political feats but the trending events of national significance and gargantuan stance are bigger that the microcosm of Lagos. This is Nigeria and so, the events are fast becoming too hot for the Jagaban of Borgu to handle.

Indeed, surprise can even beat the strongest and, in a nutshell, Tinubu may have been beaten by his own choice in these early days. Well, that’s politics: A surreal mix of facts and fantasy.

Tinubu’s first 

baptism of fire

Perhaps, Monday, May 8 would be archived as Tinubu’s first day of ambiguous denouement in political decisions, post 2023 elections and pre-inauguration. On that day, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), after some dilly-dally, unveiled its choice of candidates for the presiding officers of the incoming 10th National Assembly. Prior to the time, Nigerians had waited with bated breath, expectant of an acceptable zoning formula for the National Assembly officers. But, eventually, the unveiling of the names only succeeded in triggering a volcano of rash reactions, to the chagrin of the powers-that-be.

The party named Senator Godswill Akpabio from Akwa Ibom State of the South-South as its preferred candidate for Senate President and Senator Jubrin Barau from Kano State of the North-West as the deputy.

Similarly, it unveiled Hon. Tajudeen Abass from Kaduna State of the North-West and Hon. Ben Kalu from Abia State of the South-East as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

Then, reactions came in quick succession signaling outright rejection of the zoning formula.

For Akpabio and Barau, the anointed, it was jubilation galore but for the rest of the contestants amongst whom are the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, and a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, the APC just stirred the hornets’ nest.

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the situation has assumed an apocalyptic dimension. It has become a conundrum, throwing up an assemblage of persons called G7. The Group has the membership of all contestants for the office of the Speaker who were edged out by the APC’s zoning.

They include Hon. Mukhtar Aliyu Betara; the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Ahmed Idris Wase; Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa; Hon. Yusuf Gagdi; Hon. Sada Soli; Hon. Mariam Onuoha and Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji.

Incidentally, the endorsement of the anointed candidates happened on a day Betara was formally declaring his intention to run for Speaker.

Reactions

And so, their reactions were spontaneous when the news filtered in.

Wase, who was at the declaration, said, “We are here to ensure the independence of the Parliament, to ensure that we work as a family. What we are witnessing today we have never seen that kind of moment in the Parliament.

“That’s why every parliamentarian must rise to the occasion to build that institution to make sure we do the right thing.

“And it’s in the light of that, that five of us, but the additional finger that we have is Honourable Ado-Doguwa, so that we work as a team, we will not allow this Parliament to be disgraced.

“We will not allow this Parliament to be hijacked. We will not allow this Parliament to be made a lame duck. I believe we are loyal to our country first, loyal to our party, loyal to our people.

“And like my leader (APC Chairman) did mention, when you say you have a consensus candidate, the language for consensus is very simple, it’s not vague, there has to be a very massive consultation. People are brought to table for discussion and there is an agreement.

“In this case, we just saw and we are hearing rumours, speculations that some people have been made consensus candidates.

“I don’t know whether that is the meaning of consensus. I’m a democrat; I came to the Parliament 2007. This place is very sacred it’s honourable and that’s why we are called honourable members. We must be honourable in our dealings, in our activities in the defence of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria so that Nigeria will have a balanced situation.

“I want to appreciate my brothers, we have agreed to work together.

“We have Hon. Jaji, we have Sada Soli, we have Ado-Doguwa and Hon. Betara. Yusuf Gagdi has now joined us, so we are going to work together.

“Many are welcome; what we want is to save this institution. We want to ensure that parliamentarians have their right and their right is not taken for granted.

“We will continue to work assiduously together to ensure that, we know that it’s only one person that will eventually emerge but the best out of us must emerge.

“Not the one that will come and be, because already I don’t want to mention another thing, when we are in-house, we discuss the other thing. We will defeat those forces who think Nigeria is in their pockets.”

Betara, a frontline contestant, also bared his mind.

“I invited all of you here to declare today for the speakership of the 10th Assembly. All has been said about me, but the most important thing for me today is to declare that I’m contesting”, he said.

“You are seeing all the aspirants here. They came to support me because we are one family. We are moving as a group to get back the institution. We have been in the system for years.

“I was a member of the 6th Assembly, the 7th Assembly, the 8th Assembly, the 9th Assembly and the 10th Assembly.

“Here on the high table is the House Leader and Senator Monguno. The Deputy Speaker, we came in together, we’ve been close and I think I am the best friend to the Deputy Speaker when we came in the 6th Assembly.

“We have been in one family, we are together but you know, politics sometimes, you’ll be on your own, he will on one side and I will be on the other side.

“But, today, we are together for this movement. When I invited him to join me, today, for my declaration, he honoured it as my DS (Deputy Speaker).

“For my brother Hon. Gagdi, I remember when Gagdi went for his declaration, he said Betara is one man that doesn’t say no and why I cannot say no to my colleague is, sometimes when your colleague comes to you, he needs your assistance; if I cannot provide all, at least I can do small. That is the main reason I cannot say no.

“As the engine room of the Legislature, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila gave me a name; he calls me the Head Boy. I was surprised for my friend, my boss to nominate one person outside all of us here.

“If, today, the Deputy Speaker of the House is contesting, the Chairman Appropriations is contesting, Majority Leader is contesting, who, then, is closer to the Speaker? “Nobody! He is bringing one person; we don’t even know the person he’s picking. So, today, I am here before you as Honourable members to declare that I am contesting for the speakership of the 10th Assembly.”

To Ado-Doguwa, who declared his interest in the speakership, penultimate week, also, APC misfired.

“I will like to first of all put on record that I am still an aspirant for the speakership of the 10th House of Representatives, God willing”, the Majority Leader said.

“I think I am under obligation to honour Betara’s invitation because of his humility. He is one person that we respect in the House and we always address him as the shock-absorber. The 10th House of Representatives, as God may have it, whoever becomes the Speaker needs Betara around to really hold him tight.

“And it is in the light of that unity and understanding, like my colleagues have rightly said, that I feel I should join this occasion to fraternize with him to wish all of us well and to let the world know that my contest is not a do-or-die affair.

“If God gives you the speakership, I will be a progressive ally to work with you and I will respect you and, if God gives it to me, every other one will join me to work together.

“But one message I want to put across is that the Parliament, in this case, the House of Representatives or by extension the National Assembly is one essential institution that must always be allowed to work out its own business by itself. “The business of our leadership should be solely our business, not any other person’s business. The way members can operate under a platform of first among equals, under a platform of equal members representing equal constituencies constitutionally must be respected as an institution and we must be respected collectively.

“In a situation where you have some other people in whatsoever guise or whatever name trying to define or determine how or where or when our leadership or who should form part of leadership from outside without consulting us, I think that should be seen as a mere failure.

“Inclusion in politics is very key and important. I remain very available for consultation and inclusion and, only if that is done, then definitely everyone will answer his father’s name.”

Protest visit

On Wednesday, the G7 stormed the APC Secretariat in Abuja to meet with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, as well as the National Working Committee (NWC).

Of course, the aspirants also bared their minds. But then, one of them, Gagdi, let out an emotion laden yell: “When we elect our leaders, all of you will not be there, it is we and our conscience and the covenant of the people of Nigeria that will be in the hallowed chamber.

“So, it is better, it is not late, let the wrongs be righted. Unless this is done, sir, our party should not hope that our loyalty will be guaranteed at the detriment of justice, peace and fairness.

“We will respect justice, unity and equity in the chamber, but only if your instruction is in line with the principle of this party.

“Do not hope that we have come here to succumb to any instruction and directive given to us. Our party’s motto is ‘Justice, Peace and Unity.’

“Under your able leadership, you folded your arms and sat to allow aspirants (for President) contest election under the supremacy of Nigerians through delegates to choose whosoever they wanted to be the flag bearer of the party.

“The Vice President contested, he is the closest person to Mr. President and, yet, because of democracy and because of justice in APC, delegates were allowed to choose whosoever they wanted to be the flag bearer of the party.

“Where is that principle now sir, where has it been thrown to? Have we forgotten about the motto of our party?

“Have we recently forgotten about the leadership that the National Chairman and Mr. President plus all of you provided during the (presidential) primary of the APC?

“Do we want unity, to say that the Deputy Senate President should go to North-West and the Speaker should go to North-West when in the true sense of the word, sir, in the presidential election, North-Central, known to have majority number of Christians; with utmost apologies, let me say this, and the religious and tribal affiliations attributed to the 2023 elections, yet North-Central resisted the temptation, delivered four states to the president-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu; delivered 11 senators.

“The North-West delivered 10 with two states and North-East 1 state with 10 senators and the zone (North-Central) that has performed like this for Mr. President will be relegated to have party Chairman and, perhaps, as they insinuate, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; positions that the President or whosoever can scream at them and they have no locus to speak for the people of North-Central.

“We need fairness; we need justice, that is why we are here. We need peace and we need unity.”

Consultation

Of course, the words got to the APC Chairman. Overwhelmed Adamu begged for time to consult and get back to the aggrieved lawmakers.

Aspirants for the Senate President, on Thursday, convoked a similar meeting with the APC Chairman. The response was interestingly the same as with the Reps-elect.

Import of anointing/opposition’s eagle eyes

From political standpoint, endorsements are no unusualness. They are normal but must not be provocative. For one, the reality and the implications of the current one by the APC is that it’s a telltale of whirlwinds that is likely to blow apart the incoming government if the issues are not resolved amicably. Besides, the entire opposition of the minority caucus with their numerical strength of 183 in a 360-member Parliament is seriously gauging the temperature and the atmosphere, watching and waiting for a slip from the APC calculations to produce the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker for the House. They appear, indeed, serious in their resolve. But should the APC preferred candidates eventually scale through and get elected as presiding officers against popular demand, Nigerians would be spasmodically treated to a banquet of theatrics including impeachment. Yes, that’s what the anointing may metamorphose into in months ahead.