Tinubu, APC Chair Move Battle To NASS

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, are set to lock horns over the emergence of National Assembly principal officers.

Those watching the party informed the magazine that the acrimony that started ahead of the APC presidential primary election last year has now been extended to the National Assembly where the duo is struggling for control.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, announced the names of principal officers who will work with Senate President Goodswill Akpabio and Speaker, Tajundeen Abass.

For the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele is the Senate Leader, Dave Umahi, Deputy Senate Leader, and Ali Ndume, Senate Chief Whip, among other positions announced by Akapabio yesterday.

In the House of Reps, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere emerged  Majority Leader, Halims Abdullahi, Deputy Majority Leader, Bello Kumo, Chief  Whip, and Adewunmi Onanuga,  Deputy Chief Whip.

Following the announcement, the National Chairman of the party, immediately kicked, saying that the party had no input in what transpired at both chambers.

Adamu who spoke during the APC NWC meeting at the party’s Secretariat in Abuja, said he was shocked that Akpabio and Abass did not carry him along before they made the announcement, even though the duo had visited him earlier.

His words: “You will get an update on the National Assembly sharing of powers, particularly the leadership of the chambers. The election of the principal officers of the Senate by the Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives have been determined and announced.

“I had a courtesy call on Saturday from the President of the Senate and his Deputy. The following Sunday, I received the Speaker and his Deputy Speaker coming to me for Sallah’s homage.

“But, I am just hearing a rumour now from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives. The national headquarters of the party of the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices.

“And until we formally resolve and communicate with them in writing which is the norm and practice, it is not our intention to break away from traditions. So whatever announcement done either by the President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this Secretariat.

“We are going to formally inform you that we are going to have a caucus, and for quite a time, there has been no caucus in place. The caucus has been reconstituted according to the constitution of APC.

“And we will be discussing that with you as governors, you know your states more than we know it. Even if we come from the same state, the leadership is in you as governors.”

The National Chairman’s outburst, according to those watching what is going on is an indication that he’s not in full control of the party, and may have lost his influence to the presidency who’s now trying to hijack the party.

This school of thought insists that it’s impossible for Akpabio and Abbass, who rode on the support of the president not to have informed him about their plan before going ahead to announce the new principal officers in both chambers.

This line of thought is even moreso, considering that all APC governors are said to have endorsed the list presented yesterday.

“It will be suicidal for Akpabio and Abass not to carry the president along in a matter as important as this, knowing clearly that they owe their positions to the president who did all he could to ensure that they both emerged. It’s very clear here that the only outsider in this struggle for power is the National Chairman of the party,” a source said.

Another source in the party who spoke under anonymity informed the magazine that “the party’s leadership is not happy that the principal officers were chosen without their input”, he added that “the matter will be resolved amicably for the good of the party.”

The animosity between Tinubu and Adamu started last year after the National Chairman pulled his weight behind former Senate President Ahmad Lawal as APC Presidential candidate, saying that the senator was the choice of the party and former President Muhammadu Buhari.

But Tinubu later won the primary and also went ahead to win the presidential election, and those familiar with what is happening in the party said the president is yet to forgive Adamu for what they described as his animosity towards him at the time.

Tinubu is now trying to use the NASS to take a pound of flesh on his once political foe, analysts say.

The question is who blinks first?