Several aspirants vying for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly have reportedly rejected the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidates for the positions of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker.
Earlier, the APC had announced that the Senate Presidency would be given to Godswill Akpabio from the South-South, while the Deputy Senate Presidency would be given to Jibrin Barau from the North-West.
Tajudeen Abbas from the North-West was nominated for the Speakership, and Benjamin Kalu from the South-East was nominated for the Deputy Speakership.
To alleviate tensions arising from this zoning arrangement, President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly expressed his preference for the North-Central zone for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) position, in line with his commitment to ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of offices in the country.
A source said, "You will agree with me that this is another powerful position. As I speak to you, the President-elect will appoint somebody from the North Central zone after he is sworn into office by the end of the month."
However, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has expressed dissatisfaction with the APC's decision to endorse Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
They have vowed to render the decision irrelevant, claiming that they have the "Greater Majority" with a total of 183 members-elect compared to the APC's 177, giving them the power to select the next Speaker of the House from among themselves.
In response, the caucus has formed an 11-man committee to shortlist, screen, and recommend aspirants for the Speakership and Deputy Speaker positions.
The committee comprises members from various minority parties, including Abdulmumini Jibrin from NNPP, Oluwole Oke from PDP, Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi from SDP, Beni Lar from PDP, and others.