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| Ngige, Widely Rumoured To Clinch The SGF Post |
After a series of preparatory meetings
ahead of its assumption of control on May 29, the incoming ruling party, All
Progressives Congress, has drawn up a zoning arrangement for key federal legislative
and executive positions.
Barring any last minute changes, a
document ratified by the APC national leadership and national caucus members
Thursday night may form the basis for the allocation of executive positions and
emergence of principal officers of the National Assembly from across the six
geopolitical zones.
The document, which was obtained by
THISDAY, shows that the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation
is zoned to the South-east. The incumbent SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, a
former senate president, is from Ebonyi State in the South-east. The zoning to
South-east puts paid to speculations that the director-general of the APC
presidential campaign organisation and Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi
Amaechi, may become the next SGF. It also ends the alleged spirited effort by
some APC governors from the North-east to produce the new SGF, with the current
Secretary to the State Government of Borno, Ambassador Ahmed Baba Jida, widely
suspected to be the choice of the governors.
In other positions, the post of Senate
President is zoned to North-central, the same zone of the outgoing holder of
the position, David Mark, who is from Benue State. Speaker of the House of
Representatives is given to South-west, where the vice president-elect,
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, hails from. Osinbajo is from Ogun State. APC zoned the
office of Deputy Senate President to North-east and Deputy Speaker of the House
of Representatives to the South-south. Chief Whip of the Senate is zoned to
North-west, where the Katsina State-born president-elect, General Muhammadu
Buhari, comes from, while North-central gets the office of Chief Whip of the
House of Representatives. The post of Deputy Chief Whip of the House of
Representatives is zoned to South-east. There are only two members of the House
elected on the platform of APC from the zone in the March 28 election. They are
Hon. Austin Chukwukere from Ideato North and South Federal Constituency and
Chike Okafor from Ehime Mbano, Ihite Uboma and Obowo Federal Constituency of
Imo State.
The position of Majority Leader of the
Senate is zoned to South-west, while Majority Leader of the House of
Representatives goes to North-east. Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate is
zoned to North-west, and Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives
goes to North-central. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of APC is zoned to
North-east, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar widely expected to clinch
the post. South-east is given secretary of the BoT. The posts of national
chairman and national secretary of APC remain in the South-south and
North-east, respectively. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun from Edo State is national
chairman and Alhaji Maimala Buni from Yobe State is the national secretary.
Seven senators from three zones have
signified their intentions to contest the senate president slot. They are
Senators Bukola Saraki, a former Kwara State governor (Kwara Central); George
Akume, Senate Minority Leader (Benue North-west); Olusola Adeyeye, a vocal
senator and professor of Molecular Biology (Osun Central), Danjuma Goje, a
former Gombe State governor (Gombe Central); Ahmad Lawan, a former university
don (Yobe North); Ali Ndume, a former House of Representatives Minority Leader
(Borno South); and a former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Usman
Nafada (Gombe North). With the zoning of the slot to North-central, the contest
will now be between Saraki and Akume.
In the House of Representatives, there
are currently eight contestant for the office of speaker. They are APC caucus
leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos); Chairman House committee on House
Services, Hon. Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi State); Chairman House Committee on
Finance, Hon. AbdulMumin Jubril(Kano); Hon. Pally Iriase (Edo); Hon Ajibola
Famurewa(Osun); Prof. Mojeed Alabi(Osun); Hon. Mohammed Monguno(Borno); and
Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba(Kaduna). Of the eight contestants, only Gbajabiamila
and Adeyeye are from the South-west where the speakership has been zoned to.
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