The All Progressives Congress on Saturday failed to resolve the crisis in the party over the election of the eighth National Assembly leadership.

Some APC lawmakers-elect, at a meeting with the leaders of the party on Saturday, opposed the election of the House Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, as the party’s sole candidate for the speakership of the lower chamber.

For the Senate, it was expected that the APC’s senate presidential candidate would also emerge through an election, but as of 6pm on Saturday, two hours after the poll was scheduled to take place, no explanation came from the party’s leadership.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the election was scheduled to hold at 4pm at the International Conference Centre, but it was rescheduled when supporters of Senator Bukola Saraki, one of the aspirants, requested that it should be shifted to 6pm.

However, at 6pm, the same group requested that the poll be moved to 8pm, a move which was said to have angered Senator Ahmed Lawan’s supporters, who were eager for the election.

But, eventually when the meeting started at about 10pm, the pro-Saraki Senator-elect boycotted it.

The APC leadership had initially scheduled separate meetings with senators-elect and their counterparts for the House for Thursday.

The meetings were, however, shifted to Saturday (yesterday) because of the Senate valedictory session which was held on Thursday.

The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that the meetings were aimed at picking candidates for the senate presidency and the speakership of the House as part of efforts to resolve the crisis over the party’s candidates for the positions.

The eighth National Assembly will convene on Tuesday

House election

The APC has 213 out of the 360 members of the House of Representatives. The meeting of its leadership with the members-elect started at 10am.

Those who signed the attendance register at the meeting were 183, while the total number of votes cast was 161.

Gbajabiamila emerged victorious by polling 154 votes to defeat his opponent, Yakubu Dogara, who got three votes.

Four votes were declared invalid by the returning officer, the APC National Vice -Chairman, North-East, Babachir Lawan .

But signs that the exercise would not be peaceful emerged when Dogara and 18 of his supporters walked out of the venue when it became apparent that the party was going ahead with the election despite their protest against it.

Dogara’s supporters had before the commencement of the day’s business distributed slips quoting the comments of President Muhammadu Buhari in which he promised to work with whoever emerged because he had no preferred candidate.

As they stepped into the hall and settled down for business, the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, explained the need for the party to approach Tuesday’s election of the National Assembly leaders as a united house.

His explanation, which was designed to educate members about the party’s reason for getting involved, did not go down well with Dogara’s supporters who shouted, “no”, “no” intermittently.

The party’s national chairman, in consultation with members of the party’s National Working Committee present, asked all the contenders to sign an undertaking that they would abide by the decision reached after the meeting.

It was at this point that Dogara and his group walked out of the hall.

http://www.punchng.com/news/nassembly-leadership-apc-peace-moves-flop/

Cc: Lalasticlala, Ishilove

Senate

While the party’s leaders were expecting the senators-elect, those supporting Saraki were attending a retreat at the Jabi area of Abuja.

The pro-Saraki group, The Like Minds Senators, ended the retreat on Saturday with a pledge to further strengthen the ability of their members to pursue a people-oriented Eighth Senate.

The group, in a statement signed by a senator-elect, Dino Melaye, explained that the essence of the exercise was to position its members to hit the ground running upon the inauguration of the Senate on Tuesday.

Meeting with Senators

Attempts by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to forge a common front ahead of Tuesday’s election of Senate President failed on Saturday.

Supporters of Senator Bukola Saraki declined all entrities to attend a meeting organised by the National Working Committee of the party to select a consensus candidate.

Saraki’s supporters under the aegis of Like Mind Senators boycotted the primaries citing irreconcilable differences with the NWC over the method of voting.

His supporters had requested that the secret ballot system be adopted for the election, a request they said the NWC turned down.

The party’s NWC however said the open ballot system would be adopted for the process, a situation which was not agreeable to the Like Minds Senators.

Saraki, who later spoke to journalists, said, “As result of the inability of the APC leadership to guarantee the Senators of like minds the rights of secret ballot system, we are not participating at the election and this we made clear to the national chairman of our party.

“Whatever they do in the name of consensus, for the senate presidency election, we are not part of it.

“Members of my group are still meeting to come out with further action. But for now, we are not part of the consensus arrangement.”

Members of the Like Minds were still holding a meeting as at the time of going to press at 12 midnight.

However, supporters of Senator Ahmed Lawan who converged at the International Conference Centre, venue of the elections with the active support of the NWC went ahead with the process.

When the National Secretary of the Party, Mala Buni, who was the presiding officer called for nominations, Senator Barnabas Gemade nominated Senator Ahmed Lawan his nomination was seconded by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.


http://africanspotlight.com/2015/06/06/photos-apc-leaders-conduct-mock-election-for-senate-president/

I don't think the headache they are having with the primaries is our business all parties have their misunderstanding. (disagreement is CERTAIN in democracy)

We want a good Senate president, that's all

Rubbish...PDP was a peaceful party afterall.

All these primaries mean nothing. The senate president and HOR speaker would still come from APC. The primaries have only shown us who Tinubu's candidates are, but I foresee a Tambuwal situation. The PDP would decide the APC lawmakers that would eventually win since PDP would vote in bloc for a particular candidate.

There will be a nAPC soon. APC learn from PDP mistake.

Hmm

So Gbajabiamila needs just 27 more votes to win.
30 of the APC Reps elect were not present.

1. While it is agreed that 27/30 absentee members will vote for Gbaja, he has a guaranteed vote of 154 and is sure of getting at least half if not more than half of the 30. So lets just say half.

2. We need to know that a lot of PDP reps members intend to decamp to the APC and are just looking for the perfect time to do so. This will be their test of loyalty. If anyone thinks all the PDP reps will vote for one candidate they need to remember what happened in 2011.

3. If anyone thing Gbajabiamila who has been in the HOR for so long does not have his own supporters inside the PDP itself, the person is sleeping on Okada.

4. Gbaja needs just 12 (assuming half of the absentees vote him) you forget that even within the Dongara group, some will still leave if the party reaches out.

Now where is that popcorn

Marvin67:
All these primaries mean nothing. The senate president and HOR speaker would still come from APC. The primaries have only shown us who Tinubu's candidates are, but I foresee a Tambuwal situation. The PDP would decide the APC lawmakers that would eventually win since PDP would vote in bloc for a particular candidate.

The PDP will vote in bloc but not wont be total. Some members will still vote Femi among the PDP. don't also forget that there are 30 absentees.

Like PDP, Like APC. we are watching.

Disagreements are an integral part of democracy as far as they do not lead to violence.

For the progress of Nigeria, we need both a strong opposition PDP and a virile APC.

Innovations should also be welcome in the way things are done. The only part I dont like is the open ballot the chairman was asking for.

Those who vote against the party's candidate would then be victimized or not given juicy committee positions.

The APC must be wary of the pitfalls that led to PDP's failure. The party must be seen to be fair to all

APC,BUHARI... Mtscheew. Very comfused set of people. The idiats who shouts "sai Buhari",can somebody tell me where they are please.

Seriously the game is getting more sweeter plus interning join.

Them never start them don scatter scatter, makai just dey watch them..

That man with pot belly will be needing a trailer of Brooms

How United State Speaker is Selected


The House of Representatives elects the Speaker of the House on
the first day of every new Congress and in the event of the death
or resignation of an incumbent Speaker. The Clerk of the House
of Representatives requests nominations: there are normally two,
one from each major party(each party having previously met to
decide on its nominee). The Clerk then calls the roll of the
Representatives-elect, each Representative-elect indicating the
surname of the candidate he or she is supporting.
Representatives-elect are not restricted to voting for one of the
nominated candidates and may vote for any person, even for
someone who is not a member (or member-elect) of the House at
all. They may also abstain by voting "present". [3]


en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives


Note that it is stated that the political parties made the decision of
who to contest ahead of time. And each party only present one
person.


APC is doing the right

Marvin67:
All these primaries mean nothing. The senate president and HOR speaker would still come from APC. The primaries have only shown us who Tinubu's candidates are, but I foresee a Tambuwal situation. The PDP would decide the APC lawmakers that would eventually win since PDP would vote in bloc for a particular candidate.

Fact.

Mynd44:

The PDP will vote in bloc but not wont be total. Some members will still vote Femi among the PDP. don't also forget that there are 30 absentees.

What makes you think Gbajabiamila would get the same no of votes from the APC reps on the d-day? Don't forget the Senate President would first emerge and I forsee Saraki clinching it.The moment that happens,the northern reps backing Gbajabiamila Will just shift support to Saraki

@ Firefire: Mr Inunibini buruku, why did you abscond from your other thread. Run back there oponu, your attention is needed.

chukwudi44:

What makes you think Gbajabiamila would get the same no of votes from the APC reps on the d-day? Don't forget the Senate President would first emerge and I forsee Saraki clinching it.The moment that happens,the northern reps backing Gbajabiamila Will just shift support to Saraki

1. Both houses are independent of one another.
2. You think Gbajabiamila is some paper weight who does not have supporters?
3. There are Reps elect who were absent from this meeting and majority of them are loyal to Femi.
4. This is the APC not PDP. They hardly fall back on their words

K

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Wow.

Still curious to know how the PDP were able to resolve all the internal wranglings as regards political offices without much drama as we now see with the APC.

these Tanoids just dont ve patience. why are u faster than ur shadows? wait for the 8th national assemble to be inaugurated next week, and see how the permutations will go. it will shock u all

change!

Politicians are all the same, and can never be trusted

Ok

Emphany:
The idiats who shouts "sai Buhari",can somebody tell me where they are please.

Hiding in their holes with their faces covered with shame shytte

Owk.knw p

I think is high time APC solve this problem before nigerias think they cnt give use d change we are looking for

See the carton wey dem use sef. Unconstitutional acts been existing in Nigeria since 419 BC! Mtcheww