APC lawmakers pick National Assembly leaders electing Lawan and Gbajabiamila

ALL Progressive Congress (APC) members of the National Assembly agreed on who would be the principal officers of the senate and House of Representatives yesterday after conducting mock elections for the leadership of both chambers.

 

At a party gathering of senators and members of the House of Representatives yesterday, Senator Ahmed Lawan of Yobe North was nominated for the position of senate president with Senator George Akume of Benue North West as his deputy. In the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, representing Surulele I Constituency in Lagos State was nominated for the position of speaker.

 

Both primary elections were conducted by the APC's national working committee (NWC)  at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Party secretary, Mallam Mala Buni, who served as returning officer, announced that 33 senators were accredited to vote after which Senator Lawan got 32 votes and one vote was declared invalid.

 

Mallam Buni said: “By the powers conferred on me by the NWC of the APC as the chief returning officer of this election after having certified that Dr Ahmed Lawan has fulfilled all the requirements of the party, he is hereby nominated as the sole candidate of the party for the position of senate president of the Eighth Senate.”

 

A similar procedure was adopted for the election of Senator Akume, who got 32 out of the 33 votes cast. In his acceptance speech, Senator Lawan said while he was grateful for the confidence reposed in him by the party and his colleagues, he was saddened that his colleagues in the other camp did not participate in the process.

 

Rival senate president candidate Senator Bukola Saraki had insisted that the voting process should be by secret voting to avoid any form of harassment of their members. However, this position was said to have been turned down by the NWC, prompting him and his supporters to boycott the election.

 

In the House of Representatives too, after Hon Gbajabiamila emerged as the party’s consensus candidate, his rival Hon Yakubu Dogara and his supporters walked out of the meeting. Hon Gbajabiamila polled 154 votes to beat Hon Dogara, who got three votes in absentia, while Hon Mohammed Monguno, representing Monguno/Nganzai/Marte Constituency in Borno State, who ran unopposed, secured 153 votes to win the election for deputy speakership.