TOPE FAYEHUN in this piece, looks at issues surrounding North Central’s jostle for Speakership
Understandably, the race for the leadership of the 9th National Assembly has dominated political discourse in recent times.
Shortly after the general elections and their outcome which showed clearly that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has convincing lead in terms of number of members for the two chambers of the National Assembly, the race for leadership of the 9th NASS has assumed a life of its own.
Indeed, as the jostle for the leadership hots up, lawmakers from different geo-political zones have indicated interest in occupying one office or the other with the North Central gunning for Speakership.
At the peak of this clamour, the leadership of the APC picked current senate leader, Ahmed Lawan as the party’s choice for the coveted seat of Senate President. Of course, Lawan is from Yobe State, North Eastern part of the country.
But even before the APC announced Lawan as its pick for the senate seat, lawmakers from the North Central zone have made a passionate case for the zoning of the Speakership to the zone.
Although, speculations are rife that some strong forces from the Southwest geo-political zone of the country are pushing for a particular lawmaker from the zone to become the next Speaker, the lawmakers from the North Central zone seem determined in their quest for the speakership.
Analysts argued that for the first time in the history of democracy in the country, the North-Central state’s lawmakers from Kwara, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi, were hell bent on producing the Speaker of the House.
As it stands, no fewer than 15 members of the House of Representatives are currently in the race to replace the current occupant, Yakubu Dogara, as the Speaker of the House.
The aspirants include: Femi Gbajabiamila; the immediate past Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Reps) Abdulrahman Sumaila (APC, Kano) and the Deputy Majority Leader, Idris Ahmed Waje (APC, Plateau).
Others are: Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno); Olusegun Odebunmi (APC,Oyo); the spokesman of the House of Reps, Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) and Khajidat Bukar-Ibrahim (APC, Yobe).
Politics watchers assert that other members who are also interested in the plum job may well be waiting for the right time to declare their intention hence, the list cannot be explicitly said to be exhaustive.
Although this long list also includes members from other zones of the country, LEADERSHIP observed that the voice of lawmakers from the North-Central geo-political zone and interest they have shown in the Speakership job appears to be the most crucial and the loudest.
The lawmakers from the zone have shown to both the national leadership of the party and their colleagues that they are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to attract the seat to the zone.
It is observed that the zone hinged its clamour for the coveted seat on so many factors including the fact that since the North West produces the current occupant of the office of the president, a South Westerner occupies the VP seat and the party has zoned Senate Presidency to North East; equity, fairness and justice demand that the speakership be thrown open to the North Central.
Another factor that they are hanging their clamour on is that no member from the North-central zone has ever been entrusted with the speakership.
It is observed that from the dawn of the current democratic dispensation, the North West, South West and North East have produced occupants of the seat.
According to analysts, despite giving a good account of itself both at the Senate and the House of Representatives, North Central has not had the opportunity to produce occupant of the coveted seat of speaker.
Indeed, it was in a bid to change the scenario that lawmakers and interests from the zone are gunning for the speakership.
To further demonstrate their seriousness in the race, LEADERSHIP gathered from an impeccable source that the lawmakers from the zone are rallying around a high ranking member for the position.
According to a source, the development is an attempt to send a strong signal to the party and their colleagues that, they actually want the position and not a means to negotiate for other positions.
In the last couple of days, different pressure groups and organisations have come out to support the zone’s clamour, insisting that it is hinged on the principles of equity, justice and fair play.
“It is natural for the zone to be considered for the speakership in the interest of fair play” Terngu Igbudu, a youth leader from Benue State, stated.
Our correspondent reports that the clamour by lawmakers from North Central is coming amidst speculations that some interest in the APC are already rooting for Femi Gbajabiamila.
However, pundits are of the opinion that it will not be healthy for the party to pick Gbajabiamila from the Southwest for the position since the zone had produced the current Vice President even more so that the same Southwest zone is also angling to produce Deputy President of the Senate in the coming 9th National Assembly.
Sequel to this, a group, North-Central APC Young Patriots, has vowed to resist what it described as skewed zoning arrangement.
While lending its voice to the clamour for speakership by the zone, the group insisted that any attempt to zone the speakership to another area outside North Central amount to injustice on the zone and its loyal members who have consistently been championing the cause of APC.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja at the weekend, the group warned against moves by some party officials to influence the zoning of the speakership to South West saying such moves would be self-serving and counter-productive to the ideals of equity, fair play and democratic principles of power sharing which is necessary for a diverse nation like Nigeria.
The Convener, Dominic Alancha, said, “If the party goes ahead to zone the position of the Speaker to the South West because it wants to foist a particular candidate on lawmakers, disregarding popular support and equitable zoning formula, it will be shortchanging the North Central.
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“One would expect that since the Senate presidency was zoned to the North East being the zone that contributed the highest number of votes after the North West, the speakership position will naturally go to the next in line, the North Central zone, which produced the second largest votes after the North East (2,465,599).
“So, why is the party suddenly shifting the goal post when it comes to zoning the Speakership position by considering the SouthWest that performed less than the North Central and even already has the number two position of a Vice President? ls this an equitable thing to do?”
The group insisted that the same argument goes for other lawmakers from North West vying for the number one seat in the House of Representatives since their zone had already produced the president.
They also argued that since the North-East is also being considered for the Senate presidency, the aspiration of Monguno and Namdas also faces same challenge.
Pundits are of the opinion that since other lawmakers who have indicated interest in the position are yet to clear from their zones, the ideal thing is for the party to zone the position to the North-Central that has remained united in its clamour for it.
Unconfirmed sources said the North Central zone has zeroed in on the member representing Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau state, Ahmed Idris Maje for the speakership.
“Since lawmakers from the zone have united in giving the speakership position to Ahmed Idris Maje, the only proper thing for APC to do is to support his aspiration in the interest of the zone and importantly, for the sake of fair play”, Titus Dabat, a youth leader, enthused.
It was gathered that Maje’s choice is informed by his long years of legislative experience considering the fact that he has been in the House for long, thereby understand the nitty-gritty of how to preside over the affairs of the House.
Maje, who is currently Deputy Leader of the House, is unarguably the most ‘senior lawmaker from the zone. He is known to have always delivered his constituency to his party since he became a member of the House of Representatives in 2007 and he’s one of the strong pillars of the APC in Plateau State with his constituency consistently voting for President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC in all elections.
However, to further show the seriousness of the zone in getting the job, the APC, North-Central caucus in the House of Representatives has cleared whatever doubts that may arise in the process.
At a press conference in Abuja, John Dyegh who spoke on behalf of the caucus noted that it is only fair for the party to cede the position to the North-Central zone.
The lawmaker insisted that doing that would further foster national cohesion, balance and federal character principle.
“Zoning the position of Speaker to the North-Central will satisfy and advance the cause of equity since the North-West, and South- West already have the presidency and vice presidency respectively.”
Dyegh enjoined APC leadership to consider the fact that the North Central voted massively for the APC in the last general elections, and as such deserves to be rewarded for its loyalty.
He further said that the submission of the caucus is supported by the fact that the North Central zone voted massively for the APC in the last elections and came third on the scale of regions that voted for the APC candidate in the presidential election.
According to him, the zone needs to be properly situated to play an equally significant role in the scheme of things, adding that, “this is also helped by the fact that the North-Central zone is about losing the Senate Presidency and many feel it would only be right if the zone is compensated with the speakership”.
Also, the Coalition of Youth Democratic Forces in Kaduna, has called on the national leadership of the APC to zone the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North Central zone.
The Coalition said its position was based on the fact that the geopolitical zone has contributed immensely to the victory of the party in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its coordinator, Ibrahimaya Lima said in the history of the Nigerian legislature, it is only the North Central zone that has not produced the speaker for the Green Chamber.
While noting that with the North East at the forefront of being given the position of the Senate President because of its contributions to the party’s victory at the polls, Lima noted that the North Central should naturally be considered for a speaker without any contest.
“This is because the North Central produced the third highest votes during the presidential election, the first and second being North West and North East. These two regions are already accommodated, so North Central is the next.
But while the North Central intensifies its lobby for the speakership, the number of groups rooting for Hon Maje jas continued to swell.
Only recently, Plateau Proactive Youths (APY), called on the state governor, Simon Lalong, to support the bid by Maje to become the speaker of the House of Representatives.
In a statement, its National Coordinator, Timothy Dungs said the position of speaker of the House of Representatives would put Plateau on the high scale of national politics and facilitate many projects and employment opportunities for the people of the state.
He described Maje as a lawmaker that has demonstrated to his constituents that good governance and quality representation are possible by embarking on programmes that have a positive impact on his constituents.
Also, former members of the House of Representatives from the North Central, led by Hon. Lumumba Da-Adeh, have endorsed the bid by Maje to become the next speaker of the House.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Jos, Adeh said, members from the North Central zone who have served in the House at one time or the other are fully behind Maje in his bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Adeh, who represented Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency from 1999 to 2003, said Maje possesses the quality of a high-class lawmaker with the capacity to effectively preside over the House.
“We already have a capable president who is assisted by an equally able vice president, so the process of putting round pegs in round holes must be replicated at all levels for the party to achieve what it promised the electorate.
“After nearly 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, Nigeria has passed the stage where it can be said to be learning, so we need experienced people to preside over the affairs of the legislature to establish the synergy needed by the three arms of government for the growth and development of the country”, he added.
