The zoning template for the 10th National Assembly Presiding offices set by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) prior to the inauguration is causing ongoing turmoil within the ruling party.

Senators and House of Representatives members are rejecting the template and urging the party to rectify the issue.

If the matter remains unresolved before the inauguration on June 13th, it is likely that three Senators-elect, namely Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom North West, Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia North, and Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara West, will be nominated for the position of Senate President.

Interestingly, the three aspirants vying for the position of Senate President share a common background as former Governors.

According to information, it is speculated that after the nominations on that day, Abdulaziz Yari may withdraw from the race, allowing Orji Uzor Kalu to compete against Godswill Akpabio for the position of Senate President.

This arrangement would leave Akpabio representing the South South region and Kalu representing the South East.

Additionally, nominations for the position of Deputy Senate President would follow. Senator Sani Musa, currently the Chairman of Senate Services and representing Niger East, is expected to be nominated by a Senator from the North Central region.

Senator Jibrin Barau of Kano North would also be nominated for the same position. It is worth noting that Yari, who had previously stepped down for Kalu, would receive a nomination for the Deputy Senate President position as well.

The Senators- elect are settling for open nomination in order surprise everyone that they will need their own leader, using the open secret ballot process.

In the Upper Chamber, the President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate  President positions are the Presiding officers that would warrant all the Senators to vote and elect them while the principal officers are the prerogative of the parties to produce them.

The positions are the Majority leader, the Deputy Majority Leader; the Chief Whip and the Deputy Whip from the ruling party while the opposition would produce the Minority Leader; Deputy Minority Leader; Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip.

The source said, ” Kalu is still in the race, when the time comes, some Senators from the North will back him, he is seen as one of us, he started his early life with us in the north, we trust him.

” The party is behind him, a lot of progress has been made and we have been asked to keep our lips sealed. There is already a deal on ground between Kalu and Yari.”

Yari and members-elect from the North are still pushing for a different agenda, especially the position of Senate President inspite of the announcement of  the zoning template  of leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly by the ruling.

Vanguard gathered that Governor of Sokoto State and Senator- elect, Aminu Tambuwal, PDP, Sokoto South; Senator- elect- Aliyu Wamakko, Sokoto North; former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly, House of Representatives Matters, Senator- elect, Sumaila Kawu, NNPP,  Kano South; Senator’ elect, Sahabi Yau, APC, Zamfara North; a ranking Senator and former Governor of Gombe State; another Senator-elect elect from Zamfara; a Senator- elect from Katsina State, among others are pushing for Yari as the next President of the Senate.

Despite the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, with it microzoned to Akpabio,  these former governors from the North,  members of the National Assembly from the ruling party and the opposition have continued to carry out secret  campaign for Abdulaziz Yari from Zamfara State. Yari who is also a Muslim.

A source told Vanguard that ” we the supporters of Yari have decided to go under ground and continue with the campaign to avoid being harassed by the party and the government. We are in APC, LP, NNPP and others.”

Recall that  Kawu while speaking on Trust Television this week, had said that 73 Senators- elect were already backing Yari’ aspiration.

Recall that the Senator Abdullahi Adamu led National Working Committee, NWC of the APC  had three weeks ago given  direction to where the leadership of the 10th National Assembly  will come from as it zoned the Presidency of the Senate to South – South and microzoned it to Senator  Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom and Deputy Senate President to North West in person of Jibrin Barau, Kano North.

Similarly, in the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass from North West was endorsed by the APC leadership as the preferred candidate for the position of the Speaker. Benjamin Kalu from South East  emerged as the  Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

The arrangement may be based on the fact that the president-elect, Bola  Tinubu and his Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, are both Muslims as well as the  head of the Judiciary and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN , Justice Kayode Ariwoola who is  a Muslim.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that despite the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South South, Senators- elect Kalu and Yari have been holding nocturnal meetings with other Senators- elect from all the Zones to cajole and solicit for their support.

One of such meetings was held on Monday in one of the Districts of Abuja with a former Governor from South South, Yari, Kalu,  some ranking Senators from the North Central in attendance to speak that a zone cannot have two Presiding officers as being postulated by the leadership of the APC.

There was a follow- up meeting with some Senators – elect  from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; Labour Party, LP; Social Democratic Party, SDP; All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and Young Progressives Party, YPP.

A Senator- elect from the South who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity during the induction for members- elect of the 10th Senate,  warned that with the role being played by their Northern colleagues, if aspirants from the South refuse to be on the same page and find a common front in the next few days prior to the inauguration,  the North will produce the next President of the Senate, who will also be a Muslim.

Recall that after the National Assembly election, of the present lawmakers in the red Chamber,  30 of the old in the present 9th Senate  succeeded in the election, just as the ruling APC is comfortable with the majority of both old and new  with a total number of fifty nine Senators; the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has a total number of thirty- six  Senators; the Labour Party has eight Senators; the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP has two; Social Democratic Party, SDP has two, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and the Young Progressives Party, YPP have one Senator each.

Investigations have shown that Akpabio already has forty- four guaranteed members- elect, only an agreement between Yari and Kalu can defeat him.

Sunday Vanguard also gathered that there is formidable group in the 9th Senate that have been re- elected who are pushing for Sani Musa as Deputy Senate President and sixty- six members have already expressed commitment to the project.

A source told Vanguard that the leadership of the party was still in search of solutions to the problems as there are plans to delay one of the first administrative assignments for the President- elect, Senator Bola Tinubu once he  is sworn in as president and that is the proclamation for them to be sure that the party has got the required to achieve its zoning template.

The proclamation is  constitutionally circumscribed that he would send an official communication to the Clerk to the National Assembly to convene the 10th National Assembly, get down to the business of electing the Presiding Officers and inaugurating the the Senate and the House of Representatives.

As gathered the APC may not want a repeat of 2015 when the outgoing President of the Senate was the  favoured candidate of the APC  for the position of Senate President, and with a majority in the Senate, he was expected to carry the day, but with smartness and battle of wits  that played out, he did not get it.

It would be recalled on  June 8, 2015, the day the formal election for Senate President was to be held, while majority of APC senators, about 50, were waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari who had invited them to a meeting with him at the International Conference Centre, Senator Bukola Saraki and other senators of the APC moved into the National Assembly Complex for the election of principal officers.

A total 57 Senators loyal to  Saraki, most of them PDP members, unanimously elected him after he was nominated by Senators Dino Melaye and Sanni Ahmed  Yerima and that was how Lawan lost out but he would later serve in the leadership of the Senate.

Also recall that Abdulaziz Yari, this week said that he was in the race for the Presidency of the 10th Senate in line with the  constitution of the country and  and not zoning arrangement made by any political party.

Answering questions from Journalists at the International Conference Centre, ICC, Abuja at the ongoing Induction Programme for Members- elect  of the National Assembly organised by the National Assembly and National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS  who Yari insisted that he was still in the race as provided for by section 50 ( 2) of the 1999 Constitution, said  that  his aspiration was not an affront against his party , the APC, said, ” My aspiration for Presidency of the 10th Senate is covered by relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution which to me , is superior to any other law or arrangement .

He said, ” I am a loyal party man , nobody  has told me that any position has been zoned to anywhere as far as the 10th National Assembly is concerned.

” Position of President of the Senate, is first among equals among the 109 Senators . Any Senator – elect  who wants to occupy the position must seek for support of others which i am doing.

” It is hire and fire arrangement . I want them to hire me as President of the 10th Senate on the day of inauguration . Many of those approached by me , have given their supports and i won’t disappoint them. My becoming Senate President on the day of inauguration lies with decision that will be made by 108 other Senators that day and nothing else.”